Khrista Chronicles: I Choose You!
by FourthWallBreaker
Summary: First Story! Kids have been disappearing from Earth over the past few weeks, and no one knows who has been taking them. When my OC gets sucked into the mess on an entirely different world, it's up to her and a few friends to see about straightening things out. K plus because I'm paranoid.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"What are you working on?"

I jumped, then looked up towards where the source of the voice was most likely located, nearly dropping my pen in my surprise. You probably would, too, if you saw a girl hovering in the center of your bedroom.

She was wearing a simple, yellow-orange T-shirt and jeans, with yellow shoes with three white, vertical stripes and the same color for laces. Her hair looked like it had been dipped in milk chocolate, and her eyes were a deep green. What caught my eye the most, though, was her red backpack, which was on her left shoulder and practically bursting with notebooks and writing utensils.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously. "And what are you doing in my room?"

"I'm you," the girl responded with a smile, ignoring my second question.

I frowned. "I doubt it. You don't look like me, and I highly doubt that the two of us have the same name. How are you doing that, anyway?"

"Doing what?"

"You're...hovering. In mid-air. Are you being held up by wires or something?"

The girl laughed. "Why would I put wires in your home in order to keep me suspended? I thought you knew better."

My frown increased. "Well, couldn't you at least touch the floor in some way? Your floating makes me feel like I'm talking to a ghost."

The girl shook her head, an amused look on her face. "You really should know better. After all, we've met before."

That threw me off a little. I didn't remember meeting this girl, that was definite. And yet, there was something familiar about her, I have to admit. Then I remembered where I had probably seen her before.

"You invaded my dreams," I stated.

"More like you came to a world that I had been watching some time ago," the girl replied. "I'll reintroduce myself. I'm called Scribe, because I make it my job to record what it is my other selves are doing. For instance, I know that you've been visiting other worlds through your dreams."

If I could only raise one eyebrow, I would have right then. "Okaaay. So the dreams I've been having recently -"

"Took place some time ago, even though this is your first time seeing them," Scribe stated. She floated closer to me and my bed, where I was presently sitting with a notebook in my lap. "The problems on that world, though long since resolved, are what I came to talk to you about." Scribe reached into her backpack and removed from it a rather worn, blue notebook with a Pikachu on the cover. "Here. This is all I have on the event, including biographies on the girl and her friends."

I accepted the notebook and cautiously opened it to the first page. Right on the inside cover was the rough sketch of a girl wearing a short-sleeved red shirt, jeans, and red shoes - the slip-on kind. I could tell instantly that this was the girl from my dreams, but her appearance was not the one that my imagination had manufactured. For one, she had dark brown hair and deep, ocean-blue eyes, and her shirt had a discolored Master Ball on it - instead of purple, it was yellow.

"Her name is Khrista," Scribe explained. "An only child, and a Pokemon Master in her own right."

I looked at the notes below the picture. The list there surprised me. Looking up at Scribe, I asked, "How is this possible? This kid's powers shouldn't even exist!"

"You'll have to look through my notes to find out," Scribe replied. She glanced at her wristwatch, moving the backpack from her left shoulder to her right. "Listen, I'd love to stay and tell you more, but I've got to get going; I don't like leaving my rounds for too long."

"I think I'm going to be a little too busy for anything else," I replied. I couldn't say anything else to Scribe, though, because she faded away like a ghost would not long after the words were out of my mouth.

I blinked in confusion, staring at the empty space where the girl had been floating a moment before. For a single moment, I thought that I had daydreamed the whole thing up. Then I looked down at the notebook in my lap and realized that it hadn't vanished with the girl.

I picked up the notebook and looked it over carefully. I could tell it had been through a lot, and it was also well-cared for. My eyes scanned the first page, which had a map as well as a list of events that intrigued me, showing me events that most likely formed the plotline of some story. The first one on the list threw me off a little, though, since it stated, "Cyrus takes over."

Now, between you and me, I know a lot about the world of Pokemon in general, so I knew something was wrong the instant I read those three words. Obviously, this was a different version of the Pokemon World I was used to. The map was also something I was unfamiliar with. It depicted a stretch of land, below which was what looked like a bustling town of Trainers. At first, I thought that they were on the same dimensions, but I quickly realized that this wasn't the case: the city was underground, under the strange skyscraper and the three mountains in the center. Then I caught sight of an arrow at the top of the map, with the words "Mt. Coronet" directly underneath. That's when I realized that the story took place in the southern half of Sinnoh.

Honestly, I thought there was no way that people were going to believe this. At least, if I didn't do it in a certain way...

**And so it beings! Just to warn you guys, my chapters' lengths are all over the place, so if you feel like one chapter is longer than the others, it's because I divide the chapters according to what happens in a certain scene. If any of you have any constructive criticism for me, I would appreciate it so that I can make my stories better. Hope you enjoy it!**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Oooh... What happened? It feels like I've been hit by a truck."

The figure, a teenager of sixteen years, rubbed her head as she got up unsteadily from the ground. She pushed her dark brown hair out of her face, revealing deep blue eyes, and stumbled back in surprise. "And...where am I?"

The girl was now standing in what looked like a grassy plain, only the grass wasn't green or yellow, like you'd normally expect. Instead, everything was black. And it wasn't just the grass - it was everything. The dirt, the rocks, the three mountains that towered close by - even the sky, which rumbled occasionally with faint thunder. Not only that, but everything was stiff, and still. There wasn't even a breath of wind.

As the girl looked around, she caught sight of something white at her feet. She picked it up and rubbed off what dirt she could using her red T-shirt, then her jeans. Much to her surprise, it turned out to be a sphere, white on the bottom half, and red on the upper half, with a white button in the center.

"No way," she murmured. "It's a PokeBall. I wonder if there's anything inside it?"

Suddenly, a voice within her head said, _"Don't bother. They're all empty."_

Startled, the teen dropped the ball and looked about. "Who's there?" she demanded. "Show yourself!"

_"Look behind you_,_"_ the voice replied.

The girl turned around and was instantly overcome with shock and surprise. "_Mewtwo?"_ she asked.

The purple, cat-like creature smiled at her surprise. _"It's been some time since the others had arrived, Khrista. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever get here."_

Khrista was completely thrown off by this statement. "There have been others who have arrived here? How?" She looked Mewtwo over again. "And why am I here, anyway? Is this a dream that I'm going to wake out of while you're talking?"

_"Go ahead and try to pinch yourself; the others did, and they didn't go anywhere."_

Khrista promptly pinched her left arm with her right hand and gritted her teeth as she inflicted pain upon herself, squeezing her eyes shut as she did. When she opened them, she found herself still in the strange world of blackness, with Mewtwo staring at her.

Khrista let out a sigh. "All right, so this isn't a dream. But what am I doing in this place, anyway? No one's done anything like this before."

_"On the contrary, those who create your video games and TV shows about us have to get their information from somewhere."_

Khrista frowned. "Are you saying that every single director in a project has been taken to a world where what they create on the big screen, for electronics, and reading entertainment actually exist?"

_"I wouldn't know about that; however, concerning this world, yes, that happens. It has, however, been a while since their last visit." _

"They're making the games for Unova," Khrista explained. "But, why am I here? I'm not the type of kid who would want to actually create a video game program myself - I'm not smart enough for that."

_"You were teleported here, as were the others, because they and you had some sort of connection to this world in one way or another,"_ Mewtwo explained.

"Where are the others, then?" Khrista inquired, looking around again as she did so. "Are they with you?"

_"Unfortunately, no. They were taken to that building over there."_ The Psychic-Type motioned to a skyscraper in the distance, one that Khrista hadn't noticed when she was getting her bearings. _""They haven't managed to escape yet, because Ash managed to take them before I could."_

Khrista nodded, understanding, but then she frowned. "What do you mean by 'Ash managed to take them before I could,' though? Isn't he supposed to be one of the good guys?"

Mewtwo didn't answer.

Before Khrista could ask another question, another voice exclaimed, _"KHRISTA!"_

Khrista flinched, on account that the voice was so loud. Mewtwo also flinched. _"Rayquaza, please! Not so loud. You'll make us mentally deaf."_

Khrista's eyes widened in surprise. "That was Rayquaza?"

Mewtwo nodded. _"He's been waiting for his Trainer to arrive, and apparently thinks that the Trainer is you."_

"Well, I do have a Rayquaza that knows Draco Meteor in the games that I have..."

There was a loud cry from above, and giant rocks flew from the cloud-covered sky and crashed into the earth, dotting the plain with craters.

_"It's been a long time since I've done that_,_"_ Raquaza remarked with less volume. He then flew out of the clouds and landed next to Mewtwo with a big grin on his face. _"It's good to see you, Khrista."_

Khrista smiled. "It's good to see you too, Rayquaza," she replied. "Do you know where everyone else is?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth when a blue mermaid-cat and a dog-like creature tackled her from behind.

"Vaporrr_!" _the mermaid-cat exclaimed.

Khrista laughed. "It's good to see you too, Vapor, Linoone. But where's Swamp and Raichu?"

She got her answer when a large, mud fish-like creature and an orange mouse with a lightning bolt at the end of its tail ran past Mewtwo and Rayquaza as Khrista was getting up. After getting up in her feet, she noticed a large, white creature with what might have looked like some sort of golden belt around its stomach standing off to one side. It was surrounded by smaller creature, including three large, dog-like creatures with yellow, blue, and brownish-red fur, a shadowy figure with a red collar of sorts and a wisp of white coming up out of its head, a bird that looked like it could have easily been made out of ice, and a creature with a crescent-shaped head. There was also a small, pink, cat-like creature that was flying around the head of the large, white figure, obviously in a playful mood.

Khrista walked over to the group. "Greetings, Arceus."

_"Greetings, Kristine,"_ Arceus replied calmly. _"Everything is in order, I trust?"_

"Well, I guess so," Khrista replied. "But I'm missing a member of my team, and I doubt that you're here to fill in that spot."

_"That is why I brought others with me,"_ Arceus explained. _"You have a choice to make, Kristine. Choose wisely."_

Khrista looked over at Raichu and Swamp as she remarked, "Well, one thing's for certain - I don't need Raikou or Suicune, seeing as I already have Pokemon of their types in my team. Entei probably shouldn't be on my team, either." She looked up at the sky, where the thunder was rumbling increasingly. "You guys were probably the creators of that mass of thunderstorm, so I won't get in your way of allowing it to stay there."

Raikou bared his fangs in what might have been a smile. _"Sweetie, you're smarter than you look,"_ he noted. He turned to the other two and growled, _"We'd better get moving. All the energy above us could dissipate any second, and we don't want that just yet."_

_"Right," _Suicune agreed quietly.

_"Let's just make sure that they're ready when the time comes, all right?"_ Entei snapped as he took off for the clustered mountains.

_"We'd better get going,"_ Raikou agreed, also taking off.

_"Good luck_,_"_ Suicune told Khrista before running after them.

Khrista then turned to the Crescent Pokemon and the shadowy creature beside it and asked, "Have you two been keeping each other on your toes lately?"

Both Pokemon looked at each other, then shook their heads.

_"I've been working to make sure that those who caused this get what they deserve,"_ the shadowy Pokemon explained. _"Cresselia's been concentrating her efforts on the civilians, protecting them from whatever remnants slip through."_

Khrista looked surprised, then grinned. "Have you tried going to the top yet? I'm sure that would benefit you greatly."

_"Do you have any idea what you're suggesting?!"_ Cresselia demanded. _"He's been the hardest to get to. Darkrai hasn't even been able to affect his dreamscape!"_

"Well, keep trying," Khrista encouraged. "I'm sure you'll break through. You guys go do what you do best; I won't stand in your way."

The two Legendary Pokemon looked at each other, nodded in confirmation, and teleported away.

_"You really _are _smarter than you look,"_ the ice bird whistled. It glanced around, then said, _"I guess you're stuck with me."_

Khrista smiled. "I can tell you're disappointed, Articuno. Why don't you cause some trouble for that tyrant Darkrai's going to be trying to bother?"

Articuno grinned. _"Sure_,_"_ she replied. _"That shouldn't be too much of a problem for me."_ She flew off towards the mountains, then veered left for the skyscraper.

Khrista looked at Arceus and, taking note of the pink cat creature flying around Arceus' head, asked, "Did Mew come along for any particular reason?"

_"He wanted to see who you would end up partnering with,"_ Arceus replied.

"It looks like he's carrying a backpack." Raising her voice, Khrista asked Mew, "Did you want to come along with me, Mew?"

Mew giggled. _"You know it! You don't mind, do you, Arceus?"_

Arceus shook his head. _"I believe this may be for the best. However, as an extra precaution, Mewtwo will go with you as a traveling companion."_

"Why?" Khrista asked, frowning.

_"Things have changed for the worse around here, and Mewtwo knows his way around better than I. Farewell!"_

When Arceus was gone, Khrista asked Mewtwo, "What did he mean by that?"

Mewtwo snorted. _"Your video games are behind concerning the present events. _Way _behind."_

"How far behind?" Khrista asked with a frown. "Back home, the games and the TV show go as far as Unova, as I stated earlier. What's happened here?"

_"When Ash became Champion of Unova, Cyrus somehow managed to construct another Red Chain using materials from the Distortion World,"_ Mewtwo explained.

"Uh oh," Khrista said, her eyes widening. "That's not good. Didn't Ash and his friends try to stop him?"

_"Yes. However, it was not with his human friends. Ash teamed up with the Lake Spirits and went to combat Cyrus himself. Unfortunately..." _

When Mewtwo didn't continue, Khrista became concerned.

"What happened?" Khrista asked. "What went wrong?"

_"I'll tell you later."_

"Mewtwo, you said I was behind on things. Why won't you tell me?"

Suddenly, another voice much more familiar than Mewtwo's said, "Because he doesn't like to mention that event."

Mewtwo's face became a look of horror, and all of Khrista's Pokemon growled at a figure behind her. She whirled around, ready to expect the worst. Unfortunately, she got more than she had expected.

There was Ash Ketchum in his Hoenn garb, surrounded by the "Lake Spirits," riding on the scariest looking Giratina in Origin Forme Khrista had ever seen. Not only that, but there was something about Ash that was...off. It didn't take too long for Khrista to realize what was wrong.

Looking back at Mewtwo, Khrista asked, "Since when has Ash been hypnotized?"

Before Mewtwo could answer, Ash said flatly, "I took the Red Chain."

Khrista glared at Ash and snapped, "I didn't ask you, Ash Ketchum!" She then turned back to Mewtwo and asked, " Is this true?"

_"Sadly, yes,"_ Mewtwo replied. _"Ash and the three Lake Pokemon protected Dialga and Palkia as best they could, but all six of them were hit with a piece of the Red Chain, Ash taking the brunt of it. Now the three Lake Spirits are "prelates," as your friend called them, and Ash is nothing more than Cyrus' puppet to control, as he controls everyone else who enters that building I pointed out earlier - Cyrus' HQ. Cyrus has the world in the palm of his hand, and there seems to be nothing we can do about it."_

As soon as Mewtwo said this, he regretted it greatly.

Khrista, eyes burning with fury, turned to Cyrus's minions and yelled, "Lake Spirits, begone! Ash. You. Me. Pokemon Battle."

The minions remained still while Ash replied monotonously, "I was not told to battle you."

"If Trainers lock eyes, they have to battle. Even your puppet master should know that well enough."

"Very well."

The Lake Spirits psychically lifted Ash off Giratina as the Distortion World Pokemon moved forward. His body looked like one of the Shadow Ink creatures in a video game that Khrista used to play back home. Everything about Giratina was dark.

Khrista let Rayquaza go forward. She knew that he wanted a piece of the action. _Besides_, she thought, _Giratina and Rayquaza are both Dragon-Types._

"You want to move first?" Khrista asked.

As if to answer her, Giratina used Ominous Wind.

"Rayquaza, Fly!"

Rayquaza did, and Giratina's move missed. Then Giratina used Fly, which surprised Khrista.

_And without an order from Ash, _she noted._ Either Giratina's still wild, or he has some sort of mental connection with Ash's master._ Khrista then called, "Rayquaza! Use Draco Meteor to knock Giratina out of the skies!"

The air was suddenly filled with explosions as meteor upon meteor hit Giratina full force in the face. He fell to the ground, causing dirt clogs and Poke Balls to fly in all directions. Mewtwo and Mew protected Vapor, Swamp, Linoone, and Raichu from the flying projectiles using Barrier, allowing them to still be in prime condition if they had to join the fight themselves.

"That oughta do it," Khrista remarked with a grin.

But Giratina wasn't KO'd. Instead, he was angry. With a roar, he got up from the rut he had created upon landing and started to climb back up into the air.

"Keep it down on the ground, Rayquaza! Use Dragon Pulse!"

Rayquaza did, but Giratina hit back the move with a Shadow Ball. Luckily, Rayquaza wasn't hit.

Khrista, who continued to shout "Dragon Pulse," began to notice that Rayquaza was beginning to lose ground, even though he didn't have any scratches on him. Giratina, however, seemed to get stronger and stronger with each hit he took.

_He must be a dark version of himself_, Khrista noted mentally. _No wonder he looks so scary._ Then she called, "Rayquaza! Outrage!"

Rayquaza grinned eagerly. _"Oh, yeah! Time to par-tay!" _He then proceeded to hit Giratina with everything he had, which is a lot of attack power for a Pokemon at Level 100. But Giratina took every hit as if it were nothing!

_It's like he's Paul's Torterra,_ Khrista thought.

And then Rayquaza became confused.

Letting out the wild Pokemon within him, Rayquaza thrashed about, attacking everything in sight. He slashed at Giratina so hard that the Pokemon let out a cry of pain and returned to its original color. Rayquaza slashed again, and red gems flew away from Giratina in all directions and became red dust; Rayquaza had broken a Red Chain.

Giratina, freed of the Chain, looked about quickly, let out a shriek when he saw Ash, and fled for the mountains, using Shadow Force to get out of sight.

"Rayquaza, the battle's over!" Khrista called. "Snap out of it!"

The Pokemon ignored her. Instead, he looked around the plain, growling at everything that moved.

Turning to Mewtwo, Khrista asked, "Is there anything we can do?"

_"Either he knocks out another Pokemon or gets knocked out," _Mewtwo replied.

"What about his Master Ball?"

_"That would be among the thousands of others here at the Poke Ball Graveyard, or being kept elsewhere. Unless something dramatic happens, Rayquaza could stay like this until Ash turns him into a creature like Giratina was. It's been called the "Ketchum Treatment" in some circles, and will leave a Pokemon completely without any spirit. It's quite demoralizing for Trainers and Pokemon alike."_

Khrista looked worriedly at Rayquaza as it attacked a rather stunted tree that happened to be nearby. "What are we going to do, then? Rayquaza is the strongest Pokemon I've trained up; there'd be little to no chance that we'd be able to make him faint."

As if in answer, Rayquaza turned, called out, and flew at Mewtwo. It was obvious that the Pokemon clone was going to be the Legendary's next target unless something was done.

"NO!" Khrista yelled, standing between Rayquaza and Mewtwo. "Rayquaza, stop! Please!"

Rayquaza ignored his Trainer, attacking her instead with an improvised headbutt, which sent her flying into a rock that had been moved by the fighting. She let out a scream of pain, and a loud snap was heard. Instantly, Rayquaza was snapped out of his confusion.

_"Huh? What..." _The Pokemon caught sight of Khrista, and his eyes widened in shock. He looked at the rest of the team, who were staring at their Trainer in shock, then at Rayquaza.

_"No!"_ Rayquaza exclaimed, looking from them to the girl. _"I didn't mean..."_ He let out a cry of anguish and took off into the sky at a high speed, leaving the Pokemon behind. They didn't seem to care, and instead crowded around Khrista.

Mewtwo, who was kneeling at Khrista's right, inquired, _"Are you all right?"_

"I don't think so," Khrista replied through gritted teeth. "That attack broke more than just...a few ribs." Noticing the concern on Mewtwo's face, she added, "Even though I'm probably not...going to make it, I want you guys...to make sure this...doesn't stop you from taking down...Cyrus. Consider me a needed sacrifice. By the way, if you...see Rayquaza again, you can tell him he's...forgiven for his attack. I know...that he didn't mean to."

Raichu, who was standing at Khrista's left, instantly exclaimed, "Rai! Raichu, chu."

Mewtwo, however, nodded. _"All right."_

"Please...try to make sure the rest of the team is safe. I don't...want anything else...separating you guys."

Mewtwo nodded again.

Then Khrista flinched like someone had zapped her and she stopped breathing. An instant silence came over the whole group; a moment of silence for the Trainer.

Ash stared blankly at the Pokemon, showing no signs of emotion whatsoever. Not even the Lake Spirits responded to the death of the girl.

Mewtwo looked at the rock that Khrista was propped up against. It wasn't too hard for him to lift it up and place it over her as a memorial.

Turning to look at the remaining Pokemon that had been Khrista's team, he said, _"Let's go. There is nothing more for us here." _After sending a glare in Ash's direction. Mewtwo led the other Pokemon away from the PokeBall Graveyard and in the opposite direction of where Cyrus' lair was located.

When they were out of sight, the three Lake Spirits formed a triangle around the rock Mewtwo had placed and lifted it up with their psychic power, revealing that they had protected Khrista's body from being crushed with a Protect. The yellow pixie then motioned to Ash, who picked up the girl's body. After the Lake Spirits had dropped the rock back in place, the four of them made their way towards the skyscraper, taking Khrista's body with them. The trek, which was nothing to them, took under an hour.

When he reached the shadowy lair, a group of men led by a woman with long purple hair dashed out.

"Where's the girl's Pokemon?" the woman demanded.

The pink pixie of the Lake Spirit Trio used her tails to point out the two directions that the group had gone: beyond the PokeBall Graveyard and a large mountain that was to the distant north. _"Gone,"_ the Pokemon stated monotonously.

"And Giratina?" a man with blue hair asked.

_"Gone."_

The woman glared at the body. "Let's hope this kid's worth the trouble."

"Let's hope the boss won't miss Giratina," the man muttered.

They whirled around and went back inside, Ash following not far behind. As soon as they entered the building, the groups split up, the blue-haired man and the purple-haired woman going for the basement while the others went to the labs on the ground floor, and Ash stepped onto a warp panel with a sign nearby that read "Authorized Personnel Only." This read into the heart of the lair.

As Ash and his gruesome package walked through the corridors, Pokemon screaming in pain were clearly heard from the adjoining rooms. A Pikachu's cries were the most prominent, ear piercing and heart-ripping. But Ash did not stop to halt the screaming, as if he didn't even care.

But deep down, he did. Very deep down, where the Red Chain kept his spirit in a cage, Ash felt horrible. Not only because he was being forced to serve the bad guys. Oh, no. Most of it was because he gad been forced to betray all of his Pokemon - Pikachu especially.

As Ash made his way up to Cyrus's office through the many warp panels, the Pokemon cries became less numerous. Instead, cages began to appear in the hallways. Some were empty, but most were filled with Pokemon, humans, or some strange combination of the two. Most of the captives were sleeping, but three - a human boy, a Chikorita, and an Eevee - were wide awake when Ash passed by. When they saw who Ash was carrying, they started to speak urgently in hushed tones. Ash never noticed.

About a minute later, he reached Cyrus' office on the top floor of the skyscraper. For no apparent reason, Cyrus wasn't there at the moment, so Ash just stood in the middle of the office and waited.

Cyrus' office had a view of the Poke Ball Graveyard and the base of the mountains beyond. Inside the office, Cyrus had what one might have expected in an ordinary office, besides the fact that he had the Adamant, Lustrous, and Gresious Orbs, as well as the Spear Key, in trophy cases on the wall.

Ash waited for about a minute, and then Cyrus appeared from a warp panel next to his desk. Spotting Ash, he sat down behind his desk and demanded, "Well?"

"The last Trainer has arrived, as per your instructions, Master."

Cyrus, noticing the limp body in Ash's arms, asked, "And her Pokemon?"

_"Gone,"_ the three Lake Spirits replied.

"Did you get her name?" Cyrus asked.

"No, Master."

"Did she know yours?"

"Yes. She is also familiar with the older rules."

"Her Pokemon?"

"Strong. Her Rayquaza broke Dark Giratina."

Cyrus frowned. "This certainly explains his absence." He then ordered, "Go down to the main lab. Tell the scientists to fire it up. This could be our last chance."

Suddenly, a blast of air came in through the window, shattering it in the process, and allowing a blizzard to blow in and surrounded the Lake Spirits. In that instant, a red dust was blown off the three Pokemon, disappearing into the blizzard. The snow settled down in half a minute, but the whatever-it-was that had caused the snow to appear was gone.

Cyrus whirled around, a startled frown on his face. "Where did that come from?" he demanded.

Mesprit let out a yawn. _"Thanks, Arctic! We really needed that."_

Azelf also yawned. _"Nice touch, breaking the window like that."_ He grinned at Uxie. _"You want to do your thing?"_

Uxie stretched as he replied, _"No. Now isn't the right time. Besides - we have another plan for his demise, remember?"_

Azelf snorted and folded his arms. _"Right. Still, we ought to do something that helps get their free will back."_

_"Azelf,"_ Mesprit said, _"I pick up on things, too. I know it's hard, but please, try to control yourself."_

_"Fine,"_ Azelf replied sourly.

Cyrus glared at the three Pokemon and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

_"Having a conversation," _Azelf replied coolly. _"Try it sometime. You'll learn loads."_

Uxie chuckled. _"He probably never learned how, judging from the way he's looking at us."_

Mesprit glared at Uxie. Then she rolled her eyes vanished.

_"Time to go,"_ Uxie remarked. Then he, too, vanished.

_"Hope to see you never,"_ Azelf growled. He then glared at Ash and dissipated.

Cyrus glared at Ash. "Go and get the girl revived. Now."

Instead of replying, there was a sudden flash of light, and a ring of red jewels appeared around Ash.

"What are you doing to Pikachu?!" he demanded.

Cyrus glared at him and replied with a hint of annoyance, "It's none of your business!"

_"It's too his business!" _Azelf retorted as he appeared out of nowhere. _"Pikachu is his closest Pokemon, so LEAVE PIKACHU ALONE!"_

Azelf disappeared a second time.

Ash's eyes shone brightly. "At least they're free of it for good," he muttered.

There was another flash, and the red jewels dissipated.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"The Master wants her revived _pronto?_" asked the scientist as he took Khrista's body from Ash.

"Yes," Ash replied.

The two men behind the scientist looked at each other nervously. This was the first time in weeks that the reviver was to be fired up. Not only that, but Azelf had appeared and done something to the machine not too long ago. Judging by the look that had been on his face, the machine was probably no longer in working order.

Turning around, the scientist ordered, "Fire it up. You two should know how it works by now, seeing as you've done it for every other time."

"Yes, sir," the two men replied. They then ran to the machine (which was similar to the machine Mewtwo had used for cloning (**a/n: 1st Pokemon movie)**) and tried to turn it on. It had been neglected for many weeks, so it was very stubborn to do so.

"Do you think we should call a mechanic in here?" one of the men asked.

The other ignored him and kicked the machine instead, using one of the few choice swear words allotted to him as he did so. Surprisingly, the machine started.

"You can bring in the body in," one of the men called.

As the scientist brought the body in, the two men moved to their assigned positions: the machine's controls, and the ejection pipe at the end of the machine.

Once the body was placed on the moving conveyer belt, the scientist left to see a man about getting a certain Pikachu to forget his Electric-type moves. He never came back, though - Darkrai struck him with a nightmare just as the scientist was leaving the building.

As soon as the scientist had left, everything that could go wrong went wrong. The reviving machine started to cough and splutter, and the body didn't come out instantly. The controls were also moving by themselves.

One of the men was trying to move the controls like he was supposed to, but a force stronger than he was was pulling levers and pushing buttons.

Meanwhile, the other man was also having problems. There was nothing coming out that they could use to control the girl - not even the bright red T-shirt or blue jeans the kid had been wearing. If no body parts came out soon, the girl would be unable to be controlled by her revivers. Upon realizing this, the man's mind was filled with memories of the similar case that he would have rather forgotten. The mechanics had said at the time that those happenings we're just because the machine was being overused. Cyrus, however, seemed to think that something else was going on.

While the two men were contemplating their possible futures, the reviver began to overload and smoke. Sensing what was about to happen, the two men grabbed Ash and got out of the room lickety-split.

As they ran off to find some mechanics, the machine let out small explosions and began to shut down slowly. First the controls went dead, then the conveyer belt's speed decreased. By the time the mechanics and Cyrus had arrived on the scene, the process was done, but the machine was dead.

While the two mechanics looked over the machine, Cyrus questioned the two men, who, along with Ash, had been dragged back into the room.

"Any leftover DNA?" he demanded.

One man shook his head. "Not even the clothes came out."

"This kid's going to be bad news," the other man added.

Cyrus glared at the two mechanics as they approached him carrying a stretcher. "Well?" he asked.

"The reviver is hacked, sir," one of the mechanics replied. "It's suffered too much damage to be repaired. We'll have to build a new one."

"What of the girl?"

"She is alive, but unconscious," replied the second mechanic. "I doubt that she will survive the night."

"Take her to the Nurse Joy squadron," Cyrus directed. "If she isn't awake by tomorrow, you can dispose of her."

"Yes, Master!" the two mechanics replied in unison as they marched out of the room.

Looking back at the men and Ash, Cyrus ordered, "Disconnect the reviver and get it scrapped. Now that we have her, we have no use for that machine."

"Yes, Master," the two men replied quietly. They then attacked the machine and started to tear it apart. Ash helped them silently.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

While the men were tearing the machine apart, Mewtwo and Khrista's Pokemon (minus Rayquaza) were still walking in the opposite direction of Cyrus' lair. Oddly enough, they hadn't run into any Trainers. When a small cluster of bushes came into view, Raichu called for a halt.

"We should rest for a while before we all faint from exhaustion," she explained in her own language. Mewtwo agreed, and they seated themselves in the grove of stunted bushes, which provided the only cover for miles.

Sighs of relief escaped from the Pokemon as they lay down.

Linoone, who was arching his back to get any kinks out, asked Mew, "Do you have any Berries on you? I'm feeling a little hungry."

_"Yeah, I've got some Berries in here," _Mew replied. she started rummaging through her backpack. _"What would you like?"_

"I'll have an Oran Berry, if you have one," Linoone replied.

_"Here you go,"_ Mew said as she tossed him one.

"Could I have one, too?" Vapor asked.

_"Sure_,_"_ Mew replied, tossing him an Oran Berry. It wasn't long before all of the Pokemon were eating Oran Berries.

As they ate, Mewtwo's ears began to pick up the sound of feet pattering on the ground. He quickly got into battle stance as one of the bushes began to shake.

Suddenly, an Eevee burst through the bushes, panting and excited. "The reviver machine is kaput!" it exclaimed in the excited tones of the female species.

Swamp looked at the Eevee curiously. "When and where did you hear that?" he asked.

"Not too long ago, near the graveyard. A couple men in lab coats were dragging a giant cart of scrap metal to who knows where, complaining all the while about Azelf hacking the system and making a girl they can't control."

Suddenly, there was a sound of clapping hands. _"All right! Now it starts to get interesting."_ The bushes then parted to reveal the Lake Spirits.

All of the Pokemon instantly got into battle stance.

_"Hey! We're not with Cyrus anymore!"_ Uxie exclaimed. _"Arctic set us free not too long ago."_

_"It's the only reason I messed with the reviving machine," _Azelf added, grinning. _"Khrista was the last one that was going to be revived with it, anyway, so I decided to make sure Cyrus' decision stuck. Don't worry, she can't be controlled,"_ he said quickly, seeing the worried looks on the Pokemons' faces. _Neither can her friend_._"_

The Eevee's eyes widened. "Khrista's in Cyrus' lair?" she asked, astonished.

Mesprit nodded. _"You don't need to worry, though. As Azelf said, she's free of his control."_

Azelf teleported away suddenly.

_"Where'd he go?"_ Mew asked.

_"Our next destination,"_ Uxie explained. _"We're spreading the news of Cyrus' downfall to come, to get Trainers to rebel." _Then Uxie vanished.

"_We'll see each other again soon enough," _Mesprit added. _"In the meantime, start a rebellion!"_ Mesprit then vanished.

Turning to Eevee, Mewtwo said, _"That was Khrista's "last wish," along with finding her Rayquaza. Can you help us, Eevee?"_

The Eevee grinned. "Sure I can, and not just me. Come on!"

Try took off at a run, while the Eevee added, "And the name's Grace, not Eevee."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Just as they were running off, night had fallen on the land, though the lighting in Cyrus' "perfect world" never really changed. Clocks still existed, however, so people could still tell time.

It was during this "time of sleep" that Khrista awoke within her dreams to the sound of knocking. As she looked about in the darkness, a door materialized and opened, revealing Ash Ketchum.

"What are you doing here?" Khrista demanded. She was feeling slightly confused, seeing as the last thing she remembered was Rayquaza's attack.

Ash, noticing her confusion, explained, "You kind of got pulled back from the brink and speed-healed. I just came by to see if you made it properly." As he spoke, he walked through the doorway as a regular person, not as the puppet Khrista had met before.

Khrista looked at him curiously. "Why aren't you emotionless at the moment?"

"The Red Chain was meant to bind Pokemon, not humans," Ash replied. "This means I have some rather weird freedoms - like visiting other people in their dreams." He grinned. "Some of the grunts think I'm a demon in kid's clothes."

"So you're aware of what goes on during the day?" Khrista asked curiously. An image appeared unbidden in the darkness of their battle earlier.

Ash's smile faded and another image appeared. This one showed Articuno using Blizzard to free the Lake Spirits, then Ash yelling at Cyrus, still holding Khrista's body.

Khrista's eyes widened in surprise. "Does that malfunction happen often?"

Ash shook his head. "To be honest, I don't really know when they take place and usually happen for only a few seconds."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I don't know what time of day I can start yelling at people."

"Oh, well. What were you yelling at Cyrus for, then?"

Pikachu's screams echoed in the blackness, and Ash's face showed pure anger.

"They've been doing something to my partner," he growled. "I'm planning on going to Cyrus and giving him a nightmare he'll never forget!"

"Give Cyrus a wide berth. He's got his hands full with Darkrai right now."

"Darkrai?!" Ash repeated in surprise. "Since when?"

Khrista smirked. "Since I had asked him to. Cresselia's gonna have her hands full giving everyone memories of what the world used to look like."

"Before Cyrus happened, you mean?"

"Yup."

"Huh." Ash frowned for a moment. "Well, that explains why a scientist fell asleep of the job and is mentally locked down."

Khrista thought for a second, and a familiar face popped up, hidden from Ash's view. "Have you talked to any other revived kids this way?"

Ash looked down at his feet for a moment, then looked back at Khrista and replied, "Just a boy, about your age, but only once or twice. He tended to mutter about visions, so I've left him alone."

"Did you get his name?" Khrista asked eagerly.

Ash shook his head. "I know it's one of your friends, but I didn't want to know his name because the Day Side would tattle."

"Is a name important?"

Ash nodded vigorously. "If they can't get any DNA to mind-control you, they'll get your name instead. That's why I didn't ask for your name right off the bat, or get your friends' names."

"When did you hear about this?"

"Your friend was revived free-minded, and Cyrus had ordered me to find their name. I've considered them lucky that the neither Day Side nor me has discovered it yet."

Khrista thought for a couple seconds more, then asked, "Have you visited any Pokemon?"

Ash shook his head again. "I wouldn't dare! They're probably so mad at me, they'll want to destroy me."

Khrista frowned. "Pokemon are smarter than most people think. Chew on that while your body's a puppet head."

Ash nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Your friend said that, too."

Khrista grinned. "Do you think you could visit my friend now and tell him I'm here?"

Ash shook his head. "It's getting too close to dawn. I'd better get going. You'll be waking up soon, anyway."

"Oh. Well, bye, Ash. See you tomorrow night?"

"Sure," Ash replied as he stepped back through the doorway.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Khrista's eyes snapped open as she heard an alarm go off.

Again, it was dark, but she could make out two doorways (one which was probably a bathroom), and a figure sitting in a chair of some sort. At the sound of the alarm going off a second time, the figure shook itself awake and seemed to look in Khrista's direction.

The lights flickered on, and Khrista got a better look at the room she had been placed in.

It was a small, white room with hardly any furniture except for a small nightstand and the bed Khrista was lying in. There were, as Khrista had already suspected, two doorways, as well as a lamp on the ceiling.

Having finished scanning the room, Khrista turned her attention to the only other person in the room. To her surprise, it was a Nurse Joy.

Khrista decided to raise herself up in one elbow and ask, "Where did you originally work? Pastoria? Viridian?"

The nurse, who also seemed startled, replied, "Saffron."

"Where you around when Team Rocket tried to take over?"

Nurse Joy glared at Khrista and replied, "That's classified."

The girl wrinkled her nose, not satisfied with the answer. "Is that because Giovanni tried to reach a place of power by more honest means?"

"It is because he is below me and everyone else in this building," the nurse replied.

A name popped into Khrista's head. "Does that include Team Plasma?"

"They are below everyone else," came a voice from one of the doorways.

Khrista looked in the direction of the voice and spotted Cyrus. She sat up completely, remarking, "You don't seem very big on history. Giovanni was fought multiple times by those who wished to stop him. You were like a final boss battle. And Kanto has a tendency of bringing up the toughest of Trainers, so Giovanni is the toughest of bosses."

"People nowadays have no need for such nonsense," Cyrus replied.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, history likes to repeat itself. Like, for instance, every single organization has fallen at the hands of Trainers."

"But the Trainer that would bring my downfall is mine to control!"

"Just because he brought you down the first time doesn't mean that there are others just as strong as him - or stronger, for that matter," Khrista snapped as she pulled back the covers of the bed and made to get up.

Nurse Joy pushed her back, saying, "It's only been several hours since you've been revived! You must rest."

Khrista scowled, muttering, "I feel fine." However, she did allow the nurse to force her back under the covers. She glared at Cyrus. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"To get you started on a training regimen," replied a man with blue hair standing behind Cyrus. His glasses were reflecting the light from the lamp, so Khrista couldn't see his eyes very well.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Why would I need that, exactly? It's not like I don't know anything about Pokemon."

"You have to get stronger," the man said, "so that you can serve your new master better."

Khrista snorted. "Yeah, sure. I never had a master in the first place, and I will never have a master. There's no way I'm going to listen to you guys."

The man chuckled. "You will change your tune soon enough, child. Now, what is your name?"

Khrista was about to answer, but then she remembered Ash's warning from her dreams, and she kept her mouth shut.

"Gender?"

"I'm a girl, obviously." Khrista growled.

"Human or Pokemon?"

The teen practically burst out laughing. "What kind of question is that? What does it look like I am?"

The man glared at her. "Well, some of the arrivals have turned into Pokemon after being revived as humans," he muttered under his breath.

Khrista didn't hear what he had said, so she stated, "I'm obviously human, Knucklehead."

"I'm just double-checking," the man said, scribbling on his clipboard. "And the name's Charon, not Knucklehead. Now, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," Khrista said sourly. "And I'm not telling. Not _you_, at least." She added under her breath, "Knucklehead."

Cyrus glared at her. "You will tell us your name."

"No, I won't," Khrista replied haughtily. She then buried herself under the covers of the bed. Nurse Joy promptly pulled the covers back.

Khrista glared at her like a wet cat glares at the child who had just blasted them with the hose. "Most people know not to mess with someone who's been grounded to bed," she growled. She pulled the covers back over her head and tried to make herself comfortable.

"You need to get up," the nurse insisted, pulling he covers back.

"You specifically told me not too long ago to stay in bed," Khrista snapped. "Make up your mind already!" She pulled the covers back over her head.

This kind of tug-of-war went on for about five minutes before Cyrus pulled the covers back himself and glared at Khrista with enough intensity to force her to sit up in bed, her shoe-covered feet dangling over the side.

Since Cyrus was still glaring at her, Khrista stood up reluctantly, putting on a cross look. She put on a relaxed pose and grumbled, "You could have asked."

Cyrus and Charon looked at each other, as if mentally discussing something. About a minute later, Khrista's arms were tied to her sides as she was being led through a white hallway by Charon.

Khrista grunted. "This is a _little_ uncomfortable," she grumbled.

"That's just so that you won't get any ideas about running off," Charon huffed. "Once you learn just exactly who is in charge here, I'll let you walk around with your arms free - when I allow you to walk around, that is."

Khrista snorted at glared at Charon in disgust. "Where are you taking me, anyway?"

"To a training center," the Galactic scientist replied in passing. "Since this is your first day in our services, we must see what you are capable of."

Khrista looked at him sourly. "Ask Giratina."

Charon shook his head. "Giratina is gone, silly girl, released by some troublesome Rayquaza."

"That's _my_ troublesome Rayquaza, dummy. That's why I brought Giratina up."

Charon looked at Khrista and burst out laughing. "Ah, so that creature is yours, eh?" He shook his head. "My, my, what children are capable these days."

The two turned a corner and came upon a set of double doors, one of which Charon pushed open.

On the other side of the doors was what looked like a gym, but it was empty. Or, at least, almost empty. There were a couple humans in there, running and doing pushups or sit-ups, but they weren't accompanied by Pokemon or even wearing PokeBalls, for that matter.

Charon noticed that Khrista looked confused and chuckled darkly. "Did you think that I would let you anywhere near any Pokemon yet, girl? First, we're going to test your physical and mental abilities. Then we're going to test you with different Pokemon. Pokemon you might not normally use."

Khrista smirked. _He doesn't realize that I've had experience with almost every Pokemon in existence - except for Deoxys and the Regis, as well as some Unova Pokemon. I wonder how he'll react when he has me use a Sandslash and I know it can use Crush Claw?_

Charon had a woman in a completely black uniform remove the ropes from the teen. Khrista caught sight of the yellow hair on the woman's head, recognizing the hairstyle: it was Cassidy, one of the members of Team Rocket. It was strange, seeing her like this, and not as her normal, ambitious self from the TV show.

Cassidy caught sight of her staring and looked away. It seemed as though she was nervous...frightened, maybe.

Charon pointed to the track that went around the gym. "Run," he ordered.

Khrista looked at him, surprised. "How long? How many laps?"

"Until you drop to the ground," Charon stated flatly. "Now go."

Khrista sighed, threw her hands up in the air dismissively, then walked over to the track and started jogging.

"Faster!" Charon's loud hiss seemed to echo in the room. "I want to see your true speed."

Khrista rolled her eyes. _I don't want to run at my top speed; I'll run myself out within less than half a minute._ She remained at the same speed, ignoring Charon's order.

"Faster!" Charon repeated. He was starting to sound annoyed. Really annoyed.

"You'd better do as he says," Cassidy warned from where she stood. "Bad things can happen otherwise."

Khristia took this into consideration. Speed up, or stay at the same speed and deal with some sort of unknown punishment that was left up to her imagination. She decided to go for the possibly less painful option and started to pick up speed.

As she passed by Charon, he nodded in approval. "Good, good. But I want you to go faster. I want to see you sprint."

Khrista was already starting to pant heavily. She didn't want to go any faster. Neither did she want to suffer from this "punishment" that was bouncing around her head, creating nasty pictures that only she could - or allow - herself to think of. She felt like she wanted to slow down a little, decrease to a walk, but there was something else trying to rise in her chest, something telling her to run faster. So, she did, increasing her momentum to sprint speed. Much to her surprise, she got a second wind, and was soon breezing along around the gym. However, as it is to be expected, she was forced to stop running about five laps in, collapsing from exhaustion near Cassidy.

"Get up," Charon stated coldly. "We're not done yet."

Khrista got up to her feet unsteadily, using Cassidy as a support. "Just give me a few minutes to catch my breath, all right? I'm not used to running that fast." Under her breath, she muttered, "Knucklehead."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_"How long before we arrive at this destination of yours, Grace?"_ Mewtwo asked the Eevee. _"This place is not one that we should stay in for long."_

Grace giggled. "Relax, Mewtwo. This Pokemon Center has been abandoned for a long time; nobody's going to be coming here anytime soon."

The group of seven Pokemon were presently hiding in the abandoned building for shelter from prying eyes. "Sunrise" had come and gone, and the group was ready to move on, as well.

Grace pointed with her front left paw towards a hallway to the right of the main counter, where Nurse Joys used to receive Pokemon for free healing. "We need to go that way in order to get where we're going," the Eevee explained.

"The...storage rooms?" Linoone guessed, sniffing the air. "It smells like they're crawling with Ghost/Poison-Types."

"Just a couple Level 5 Gastly, nothing to worry about," Grace replied calmly.

The other Pokemon exchanged glances. Usually, if a Pokemon uses the term "level," it means that they are being trained by a human, or they're involved in a group that trains extensively.

Vapor looked over at Grace, an idea forming in his mind. "You didn't happen to be a human once, did you?"

Grace nodded. "Yeah... When I got here, I was transformed into this form. I'm lucky my big sister found me and led me to this place."

"You have a sister?" Raichu asked, curious. "Where is she?"

Grace motioned to the hallway a second time. "She's down this way." Taking note of the suspicious looks at were passing between the Pokemon, she stated. "Her name's Eliza, and she's an Espeon."

Mew cocked her head. _"Eliza? You don't mean that strange Eevee who stopped Gengar, do you?"_

"One and the same!" Grace replied with a smile. "If you guys want to meet her, you'll have to follow me to the storage room."

Vapor looked at Swamp, an excited look on his face. "I've seen posters of that kid and she looks pretty strong. I wouldn't mind actually meeting her in person."

"You still have Glacier and Mist, Vapor," Swamp reminded the Eeveelution. "They wouldn't like you for doing that."

Grace giggled. "They'd probably lock you up for doing that," she agreed. "Both of them can be as cold as ice if they wanted to."

All the Pokemon stared at her.

"How do you know Vapor's wife and child?" Raichu asked cautiously.

"Mist and I hang out with Eliza all the time," Grace responded. "Sometimes, we even get to do practice battles!"

Mewtwo looked down the hallway. _"How many other Pokemon are you friends with?"_ he asked.

"Lots," Grace responded, "but you have to let me show you where we're going before I can tell you about them!" She bounded over to the hallway and waited there for the group, bouncing around. When the other Pokemon had approached her, she dashed off down the hall, leading them into an empty storeroom.

Mew looked around, a frown on her face. _"Now what?"_

Grace pawed an iron ring on the floor, pushing it into a vertical position. "I need someone to lift this."

"A trap door?" Linoone questioned.

"I got it," Swamp stated, coming over to Grace's side. The Eevee slipped out of the way as the Water/Ground-Type grabbed the ring and lifted the door, which in and of itself was as large as two of the Swampert. He managed to get it up about half a foot before it suddenly stopped and didn't go up any further.

"Who's there?" demanded a voice from below. "Name yourselves!"

"It's me, Grace!" Grace called out, not noticing the surprise appearing on the other Pokemons' faces. "I'm back from my little investigation, and I've brought a few friends, too!"

Mewtwo leaned forward, inspecting the opening. _"Brock? Is that you?"_

The trapdoor, which Swamp had stopped pulling on, was thrown back into a vertical position, revealing the young man from Pewter City.

"Mewtwo? Mew?" the Rock-Type Gym Leader asked, shock sounding in his voice.

_"Hello, Brock," _Mew greeted. _"We haven't seen you in some time."_

The Trainer looked a little flabbergasted. "What are you doing here? How did you -"

_"Grace led us here, on the account of Trainer Khrista's request to find help and stage a rebellion,"_ Mewtwo explained. _"Her Rayquaza is flying around somewhere in the area, and, according to the recently liberated Lake Spirits, Khrista has been through Cyrus' reviver, but has her free will."_

Brock frowned. "How can you be sure that the Lake Spirits are freed?" he asked, suspicious.

_"I freed them myself,"_ Arctic replied, stepping out of the shadows of one of the storeroom's corners. She smiled - which is odd for a bird Pokemon - and added, _"I don't think Cyrus felt a colder wind than what I threw at him yesterday."_

"Can we go down now, Brock?" Grace asked impatiently.

"Down?" Vapor repeated.

Grace nodded. "We've been hiding underground, and this is the only entrance and exit. The Gym Leaders and the stronger Trainers take turns guarding it."

Linoone's eyes widened. "How many people are down there?"

"You'll have to come down and see for yourself," the Eevee replied with a mischievous smile. She dove through the trapdoor, Brock disappearing half a second later.

Mewtwo frowned, considering what Grace had just said. _"People living underground..."_

Swamp nodded. "I picked up on that, too. But it doesn't make any sense! I mean, we all heard that Cyrus had flushed them out."

"That was nothing more than a mere rumor," a Gastly stated, materializing above the tunnel. "One that we Ghost-Types spread. I assure you, the Underground is fully up and running directly below us. There are also many Pokemon...including Legendaries that managed to avoid Cyrus' little puppet."

Arctic's eyes widened. _"My siblings! They must be down there!"_ She dove for the tunnel and vanished into the earth.

The Gastly turned and looked at the rest of the group. "Pokemon that belong to Trainers who are now within Cyrus' domain are down there, as well. I am certain you will find friends there." With that, the Ghost/Poison-Type vanished.

"I'm going down there!" Vapor declared. "If Glacier and Mist are down there, my siblings might be, as well." He dove into the tunnel, followed by Raichu and Linoone, who were equally excited. Mew, after doing a couple lazy loops, followed, leaving Swamp and Mewtwo standing by the trapdoor.

"We'd better get down there," Swamp told Mewtwo. "Who knows what sort of mischief they're going to get into?"

_"Surely they're mature enough - "_

"Just because we're at Level 100 doesn't mean we don't act like we're Level 5s once in a while. I'll get the door."

The Psychic-Type nodded, then disappeared down the tunnel.

As Swamp climbed into the hole, he grabbed the door and started to pull it down, bracing his legs against the wall, only for a Gengar to appear out of nowhere.

"Relax, buddy," the Ghost/Poison-Type stated. "I got it."

Swamp gave the Ghost/Poison-Type an odd look, then let go of the door and slid down into darkness.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When the physical trials were over, Khrista's body was glistening with sweat, the girl herself panting from exhaustion, feeling like she could collapse at any moment. Charon watched her out of the corner of his eye, recording the results on his tablet, looking at her directly only when Khrista fell to the floor, snoring softly.

The old scientist shook his head in disappointment. "Wake her up," he told Cassidy. "We aren't done here."

The ex-Rocket grunt moved over to the girl's side and shook her gently, murmuring, "Wake up." When Khrista didn't stir, the blond-haired woman tried a different approach: she slapped the teen in the face.

Khrista reacted instantly, practically jumping to her feet, looking around quickly, eyes alert. She caught sight of Charon and glared at him. "If you're planning on making me do something else - "

"I have all the data I need on that," Charon replied calmly. "Now, we must test your knowledge of this world." He grabbed Khrista's left arm and dragged her towards a set of double doors at one end of the gym, opposite the one they'd come in. As they approached, the doors opened, revealing a man with sea green hair in a black uniform identical to Cassidy's. Khrista mentally identified him as Butch.

"Take this girl and test her abilities with Pokemon," Charon told the ex-Rocket member. "I want to know everything she knows about our world."

Butch nodded. "Got it, Boss." He grabbed Khrista's right arm as Charon released her left and pulled her into the white room behind him, closing the doors as he did. Once the doors were shut, he muttered, "Sorry. He likes it when we're rough on you kids."

Khrista looked surprised. She hadn't expected the Rocket member to actually be a softy.

Butch took note of the look on her face and became surprised, as well. "Your not like the other kids, are you?" he asked, grabbing a clipboard from a nearby table littered with PokeBalls.

"I have no idea who you're referring to," Khrista replied, leaning against a whitewashed wall. "The only people I've seen are a Nurse Joy from Saffron, Cyrus, Cassidy, and the old man who seems to enjoy torturing people for a living."

Butch's eyes widened, and he looked down at the clipboard, which no doubt had all of the known information on Khrista, then back at her. "They can't control you."

Khrista smirked. "What gave it away?"

"Your attitude, for one. Most kids act like they had all their emotions and personality sucked right out of them, making 'em mere puppets."

"So, they're spirit_less_," the teen guessed. She looked around the room, frowning slightly when she noticed that everything was painted white. "So, what do you do to the kids who come through?"

"I test them for whatever knowledge they've retained that might be useful," the ex-Rocket member replied. "We should probably take care of that." He eyed Khrista. "All you gotta do is give me some sort of answer, all right?"

Khrista nodded, an idea forming. "What's the first question?"

Butch adjusted his position so that he was sitting on the PokeBall-covered table. "Your team, including levels."

Khrista frowned momentarily, then answered, "Last time I checked, my team consisted of Swampert, Raichu, Linoone, and Rayquaza." Since Mew and Mewtwo were both Legendaries that were most likely on the Galactic's wish list, she didn't bother to mention them. Vapor, however, was a different reason. "All of them are at Level 100."

Butch stared at her in astonishment. "Rayquaza? Are you serious?"

"Completely. There's a reason Cyrus' pet Giratina is no longer in the building, you know."

Butch wrote furiously on his clipboard. "Considering your team, plus your knowledge of who the Boss and the Big Boss are... Did you watch a TV show about this place?"

"I used to, but the animation got kiddish suddenly when they got to Unova. The animators turned Ash back into a ten-year-old, when he should be at least my age."

Butch chuckled nervously. "I get the picture. A little advice - don't say the kid's name, 'k? Or, at least, don't use it too often."

"Why's that?" Khrista asked, frowning.

"Every time somebody uses it, he practically bites the heads off anyone in a quarter mile radius. Usually builds up, then happens at least once a day."

Khrista's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? Huh. And your next question?"

"Which regions have you been to in person?" Butch frowned slightly. "Or, in the...games?"

"Just Hoenn," Khrista replied, lying again. In reality, she had also been to Kanto, Jhoto, Sinnoh, and Unova, and knew just about as much as anyone about the Pokemon that lived in each of the regions. "I kept up with the basic stuff for the other games, though."

Butch nodded. "Did you know how many games Team Rocket was in?" He asked.

"Eleven," Khrista responded. "You guys are the only ones who have caused trouble on more than one region."

Butch brightened. "Really?"

"Yup. You were beaten both times, though, remember?"

The ex-Rocket member nodded. "No need to tell me twice." He finished writing, then placed the clipboard next to him on the table. "All right, kid. Those are the only questions I've got for you."

Khrista frowned, looking at the clipboard. "That thing's at least five pages thick. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Butch replied. "The rest of this stuff is for kids who've been messing around here for years, and it's pretty obvious that you haven't been. I mean, Kanto, Jhoto, Sinnoh, and Unova aren't even on your game list, and there are some kids who have been to all of them and more."

_Of course the are,_ Khrista mentally answered. _And I'm one of them, but I'm not going to tell you that._ Instead, she asked, "What's with the PokeBalls?"

Butch glanced at the spheres. "Oh, those. They contain Pokemon we're probably going to distribute later. Don't worry about it." He looked over at the doors. "We've used up all the time I've got for interrogation. You're probably going to be assigned to a room next."

Khrista nodded. "Is this the only thing you do everyday?"

"Nah. Now that you've gone through, I'll be transferred to keep an eye on the Pokemon around here, maybe watch you."

Khrista smirked. "Good luck with that." She looked at the door. "So, do I just walk out or do you force me out?"


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"So, you're Khrista's first Pokemon?" Eliza asked, looking Swamp over.

"That's right," the Water/Ground-Type confirmed. He looked around at the Espeon's hut. "You have certainly made yourself comfortable here."

"Well, since we're stuck down here until Cyrus' little project is over, I had to do something to keep myself busy."

The Pokemon's home looked like something out of the "dream realm," something most called a Dream Home, simply because it had been created there as a home away from home, another one of Cresselia's inventions, which the Hoenn Pokemon had heard about but never experienced. Dark stone made up the floor and walls, leaving the ceiling open to the natural cave above, allowing light from the nearby lamps, which were loaded with Shiny and Dawn stones. Inside the hut, the furniture included a bed with dark purple sheets with a flower print, posters of Cresselia, Mew, Latias, and the recently "rediscovered" Victory Pokemon Victini decorated the walls, while a table with the dolls of the same Pokemon, Pokeathalon awards, and Eliza's Explorer Badge, provided the only other decor in the one-room house.

"It's not truly home, but it's the best I can do in these circumstances," Eliza added. "And now that Grace has been pulled into this mess..."

"It's bad enough that Cyrus has control of the world above," Swamp stated. "Be glad you and your sister have each other."

Eliza nodded. "I know, I know, but I still worry. I mean, what is Cyrus actually does manage to discover us here? I don't know if we're ready for an attack of that magnitude..."

"There you are!"

Swamp's head turned, and he caught sight of the Water-Type Starter from Jhoto. "Typhoon?"

The Feraligatr grinned. "The one and only! Come on - Blast and Emily are waiting for us."

Swamp turned to look at Eliza. "It was an honor meeting you, but as you can see, I'm needed elsewhere."

"You'd better get going, then," Eliza agreed. "Don't let me hold you up."

As the two "Water Starters" left Eliza's home, Typhoon asked Swamp, "What's it like up there?"

"Dark...kind of looks like what that one pair described as the future when time stopped working," Swamp explained.

Typhoon frowned. "Is there anything we can do to stop it, do you think?"

"I don't know. The Lake Spirits said that Khrista was going to help us solve the problem, but how can she do that when she's inside Cyrus' lair?"

"It could be one of those undercover sabotage missions," the Feraligatr suggested as they approached a Blastoise and an Empoleon.

"What are you talking about?" The Empoleon asked with the tones of a female.

"Khrista," Typhoon replied. "What else is there to talk about down here, Emily?"

"Oh...I see your point." Emily looked over at Swamp. "Have you seen Cynthia running around lately?"

Swamp frowned. "The Sinnoh Champion? I can't say that I have. Why?"

"No one's seen her or the other Champions and Elite Four groups since Cyrus decided to take over," Blast explained. "Even Red hasn't shown his face, and that's somewhat worrisome."

Typhoon nodded in agreement. "Blue hasn't fought any of the other Gym Leaders or Trainers down here because he's worried about his rival, but he doesn't want to admit it. His brother's doing the same thing."

"Really?" Swamp was surprised. "I'd have thought that Blue and Gary would be training like no tomorrow to get Red and Ash back."

Blast shrugged. "Maybe they're doing something else to that point." He looked the Water/Ground-Type over. "You haven't had an official tour of this place yet, have you?"

Swamp shook his head. "'Fraid not."

Blast looked around at the open-roofed, stone-built huts the Pokemon built as shelters. He then pointed to one. "Guy and Gwen don't get enough to do during the day. Maybe one of them could guide you around."

"They've got a couple kids now, remember?" Emily chided. "What about Flare?"

"He's probably with Vapor and the others," Swamp remarked. "I'll just have a look around myself; don't worry about getting me a tour guide."

Typhoon chuckled. "All right, then. Just make sure you don't wander too far. There are a lot of tunnels down here, and most of them haven't been explored yet. We wouldn't want you wandering into a Pokemon's nest accidentally."

Swamp nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He walked off, leaving the other region starters to return to their families.

The homes the Pokemon had built eventually gave way to fields of grass, which the Legendaries in the area had created using their abilities, allowing the Pokemon access to areas they could play and battle in, with different climates and weather conditions in certain area. It helped the Pokemon adjust to their underground surroundings more easily.

_The Legendaries have really outdone themselves this time, _ Swamp mentally noted. _Especially since there are so many of them!_ He walked through the grassy meadow, where Pichu were playing a version of tag, and into a forest, where Bug-Types were going about their business.

_"Hello!"_

Swamp turned his head, and caught sight of a small, fox-like Legendary floating mid-air, grinning at the Water/Ground-Type.

"...Hi," Swamp replied. "Victini, right?"

The Fire/Psychic-Type nodded. _"Yup! You're Swamp, right? Khrista's first Pokemon?"_

"That's correct. Any particular reason you have an interest in me?"

_"I overheard what Blast had suggested, and I really want something to do. You don't mind if I give you a tour, do you?"_

"I don't see why not."

Victini did a backflip. _"All right! I'll start with where we are right now - the Pokemon Fields, which I put pure energy into to keep things balanced. The only Fire areas for miles are Moltres' Fire Plain and a volcano for Entei - wherever he is. Of course, there are other areas for other Types."_ Victini motioned for Swamp to follow him, and he led the Hoenn Starter out of the Bug-Type Forest and back into the huts. _"Of course, you've been here already, but I'm going to tell you about this place anyway. This is where the Pokemon who already have Trainers live. It's kinda like the humans' PC Box Systems, only more open and interactive, 'cause you can't create families inside cyberspace. We've got Exploration Team members in the area, too."_

"Like Eliza," Swamp recalled.

_"And Maria,"_ Victini added. _"She's the Vulpix who traveled to and from the bad future with Pika, a special Pikachu who now heads the Guild."_

Swamp gave Victini a curious look. "Really? They're down here?"

The small Legendary nodded. _"Yup! Pika does go above ground from time to time, but only on Rescue Missions for people who wander into places like Dusk Forest and Dark Hill." _He pointed over to a low, stone wall, separating a small area of huts. _"Treasure Town's right over there. You wanna have a look-see?"_

"I don't see why not," the Water/Ground-Type remarked.

Victini led Swamp over to an ornate, stone gate with an arch that had a Wigglytuff at the top. Directly inside the gate was a single street, with shops on either side: the Kecleon shop, Kangaskhan storage, Xatu Apprasial, and the other tents that sold needed goods and supplies to Pokemon Explorers. At the end of the street, the path split off into houses, with two leading either out of the town to towards a stone building that looked like the head of a Pikachu.

Swamp walked into Treasure Town, feeling a little like a lumbering oaf because of his size compared to the other Pokemon. Most of the Pokemon on Exploration Teams were small and fast, maturing in their first evolutionary forms by age and experience, rather than evolving like the Pokemon who worked with Trainers. This allowed the Pokemon to grow like the humans did, treating their next forms like a ladder rung to becoming a Guildmaster, which few Pokemon actually reached.

_"Maria let Pika design the Guild,"_ Victini explained. _"Wigglytuff helps Chansey run the Daycare the Trainers set up, and his Guild split up into their own teams, which work for Nina and Richard."_ The little Legendary flew a little higher. _"It looks like the Guild's locked up right now, so the group's probably out and about on some super-important Rescue Mission." _He let out a small sigh. _"I wish I could go with them to the surface, but there's a danger of me being captured by Team Galactic..."_

Swamp looked up at the Legendary. Despite being so energetic, the Fire/Psychic-Type was beginning to look a little worse for the wear.

The Swampert reached out and patted the Pokemon on his head reassuringly. "Don't worry. If what the Lake Spirits say is true, then we'll be back above ground in no time."

Victini perked up at this. _"Mew said something about that... How Khrista had retained her free will and is going to help take Cyrus down, right?"_ When Swamp nodded, the Legendary did another backflip. _"This is great! We actually have a chance to take back what we lost! C'mon - I know just the people to tell about this."_ He flew out of Treasure Town the way they had come in, Swamp running after him as fast as he could go.

"Where are we going?" Swamp asked.

_"To see the Pokemon Professors,"_ Victini replied. _"This is the kind of info they need to know."_

"Which ones are down here?"

_"Why, all of them!"_ Victini chuckled. _"Did you really think they didn't see this coming? Palkia contacted each of them personally, saying that something was wrong in the Distortion World and that they had to prepare for a disaster. That's why all this is down here."_

As the two exited the small "city" of Pokemon huts, they came across a small, White House with a fence surrounding a small plot of land that looked like it had been ready for planting for some time.

"Who lives there?" Swamp asked, motioning to the house.

Victini glanced at it. _"That's Mrs. K. She hasn't come out of that house since we got down here. A Pelipper comes by occasionally and drops off what food she needs to last another week."_

"You mean that's -"

_"Yes, that's her. Little advice: don't say his name anywhere near her house. You wouldn't survive her Mr. Mime."_

They quietly slipped past her house without another word. A couple stone huts later, they arrived at a two-story building that was white, with a PokeBall on the front door.

Victini flew up to the door. _"This is it."_ He looked at Swamp with a sheepish grin. _"You mind opening the door?"_

"Not at all," Swamp replied. He gently placed two of his right paw's fingers on the doorknob and turned it, careful not to completely destroy the mechanism. The door swung open easily, allowing the two Pokemon access to the building's insides, which looked like a house and a lab smushed together.

_"Hello!"_ Victini called out as they entered. _"It's Victini! I've brought a friend!"_

A woman with light brown hair that reminded the Legendary of a Casteliacone looked up from a device she had been inspecting, smiling when she caught sight of the Pokemon. "Hello, Victini." She walked over and looked at Swamp. "And you're a Swampert, right?"

Swamp nodded in confirmation. "My name is Swamp. You're Professor Aurea Juniper, correct?"

The woman nodded, obviously knowing what the Pokemon had said. "That's right. Is there anything you need help with?"

_"We need to speak with Professor Birch, stat. Swamp told me that Khrista is inside the Nasty Building with her free will intact. There's a slim chance that we could take Cyrus down from the inside out and from the outside in."_

The mentioned professor rocketed down the stairs at the opposite end of the room. "Did you just say what I thought you said?"

_"If you're referring to 'take down Cyrus,' then yes," _Victini replied with a grin. _"You've heard about Khrista, right?"_

The Hoenn Professor nodded. "Mew came by today and told me that the Lake Spirits where freed of his control."

"Khrista retained her free will, as well," Swamp added, "and one of the Legendary Pokemon mentioned a friend of hers in the same situation. If it's who I think it is, then Cyrus is really in for it."

_"They'll weaken them from the inside, and allow us to take him out,"_ Victini stated.

Birch's eyes widened, but he then frowned. "That still isn't enough. The security will be tight both below ground and above. Our forces of Trainers and Pokemon wouldn't be enough to even make a dent." The professor sighed. "If we had the Elite Fours around, we would have more of a fighting chance."

Victini frowned momentarily. _"You know, I heard a rumor that the Elite Fours have been raiding cities in Sinnoh each night, and that they're headquarters is deep in Mt. Coronet. Maybe we should check it out."_

Juniper eyed the Fire/Psychic-Type. "I'll throw the topic a Dugtrio's way, but I doubt we're going to get any answers on that rumor anytime soon. For now, I suggest you two keep yourselves busy with other things."

The two Pokemon nodded, then left the building.

_"Where are you planning on staying?"_ Victini asked.

"I saw a mud puddle with my name on it back in the Fields," Swamp replied with a grin. "It's been a while since my last mud bath, anyway."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Khrista looked around at her new, gray-colored cell with disgust, her nose wrinkling up from some unnoticeable scent.

The room in and of itself looked like it had been torn out of a prison and added on to Cyrus' skyscraper. There was a sink, a toilet, and two sets of bunkbeds with wooden frames and drab, gray sheets.

The teen let out a sigh of annoyance as she eyed the two upper bunks. Her bed had been situated above a writing desk, so she was used to sleeping close to the ceiling. Now, she was forced to take one of the lower bunks, because both of the upper bunks, as well as the lower right one, had forms sleeping in them, covered by the sheets. After sending her annoyed look at each of them, Khrista disappeared under the covers of the only bed not taken.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she appeared in a room that looked like the cell, only this one had pale yellow walls, pink and orange sheets, and a PokeBall rug on a floor of gray carpet, which kept Khrista grounded, allowing her to recall that this was nothing more than some type of dream realm.

As Khrista was inspecting the other beds to make sure that they were empty, the steel (now wooden) door was pushed open, and Ash stepped through.

"Hi!" the Trainer greeted.

"Oh, hey!" Khrista leapt off one of the upper bunks.

"Is this where you've been assigned?" Ash guessed, looking around.

"Minus the colors and with three roommates," Khrista replied. "Why are you here tonight?"

"I've been thinking about what you said last night," Ash responded. "I was planning on going to try and visit Pikachu tonight, and I was kinda wondering if you wanted to...come along."

Khrista gave Ash a curious look. "Is there any reason why I should?" She asked cautiously.

"I don't know what he's going to do, and if you help confirm my actions, I actually might be able to talk to him a little."

Khrista smirked. "Why not? What do I have to do in order to come along?"

Ash held out his right hand. "Just keep a tight grip. I know my way around the dreamscape better than you, and if you aren't too careful, you could end up having an out-of-body experience for the rest of time."

Khrista nodded, gripping his hand with her own. "Gotcha."

The two walked through the door, and the next thing Khrista knew, they were in a forest, with a doorway made of light behind them.

"Are we in Pikachu's dreamscape?" Khrista guessed.

Ash nodded. "Pikachu's right over there," he stated, pointing to the center of a small clearing. The Electric-Type was lying in a beam of sunlight, seemingly sleeping peacefully. "I don't know if waking him right now is a good idea. He can get a little grumpy if you wake him up earlier than he likes to be."

Khrista frowned. "Well, I doubt that he's going to wake up without a disturbance of some sort." She started to walk towards the Electric Mouse, Ash following behind. "Besides, if he's going to zap you with a Thunderbolt, which you've withstood many times before, what's the harm?"

"That he might actually _kill_ me this time?" The words came out louder than Ash had intended, and the Electric Mouse opened his eyes, leapt to his feet, and let loose a Thunderbolt that hit both Trainers. Luckily, it wasn't as deadly as Ash had predicted.

As Khrista got up her clothes smoking, she remarked, "Wow. Ash trained you well."

"Ash has got nothing to do with it!" Pikachu snapped, his red cheeks sparking.

"Warned you he'd be mad," Ash grunted as he got up. Pikachu's head turned, and the two of them glared at each other.

A confused look mixed with Pikachu's glared and he cocked his head to one side. "Why'd you come here?"

"It was only for a quick visit,"Ash replied. "I'd heard your screams two days ago and...well..."

Pikachu's gaze went from Ash to Khrista, who explained, "The Red Chain Cyrus initially used was for Pokemon, not human, so Ash got this ability to go from one person's dreamscape to another. He can also break free from the Red Chain's grip occasionally."

Pikachu's eyes widened. "You have got to be kidding me."

Ash made a careless waving motion, and and the clip that had played for Khrista the night before replayed. "She isn't."

As the clip disappeared and the bush it had replaced reappeared, Pikachu ran over to Ash and jumped into the Trainer's arms, a huge grin on the Pokemon's face. "This is great news! If the Lake Trio is free, then we have a chance at throwing Cyrus out of his place of power!"

Khrista grinned and nodded in agreement, then frowned. Ash took note of this.

"Is something up?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Khrista replied. "When I got here, I couldn't understand anything my Pokemon said, but now I know exactly what Pikachu's saying. It's...strange."

"Maybe your experience as a Trainer is catching up with you," Pikachu suggested.

Khrista shrugged. "Could be." She looked around, and a grin suddenly came across her face. "I wonder what Darkrai's doing tonight."

"Darkrai?" Pikachu repeated, scrambling onto Ash's shoulder.

Ash smirked. "Yeah. She asked Darkrai to torture Cyrus with nightmares, just to shake him up a little. He got a scientist yesterday, too."

Pikachu looked surprised. "So that's why he didn't come back. The reason I was screaming yesterday was because they were trying to force me to forget my Electric-Type moves. That one guy left to find a Move Deleter." He grinned. "Looks like I owe Darkrai big time."

The sky above them suddenly darkened. _"Consider it a gift from me,"_ a voice boomed. Then the sky returned to its normal blue color, and Darkrai appeared in front of the group. _"It's almost dawn, you three. You might want to return to your own dreamscapes before anyone finds out you're gone."_

Ash nodded. "Right." He looked at Pikachu. "I'll try and visit when I can, buddy."

Pikachu nodded. He looked at Darkrai. "I'd appreciate it if you'd burn Cyrus to a crisp with a Thunder attack in his next nightmare."

Darkrai nodded. _"His hair will be smoking by the time he wakes."_ The Dark-Type vanished.

Ash held out his right hand to Khrista as Pikachu jumped off his shoulder. "You ready?"

Khrista nodded, gripping the Trainer's hand. "Ready."

The two of them then walked through the door of light, reappearing in Khrista's dreamscape.

"Thanks for helping me get the courage to visit Pikachu," Ash stated.

"It was no problem," Khrista replied carelessly. "Trainers are supposed to have deep bonds with their Pokemon, even through tough times. This proved that; your bond with Pikachu is still there."

Ash smiled in agreement. "Yeah."

"Try and visit again sometime, all right?"

"We'll see," the Kanto Trainer responded. He disappeared through the doorway, which closed behind him.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As Khrista woke up, she noticed that there were voices whispering in the room. Pulling the covers away from her face, she looked around, searching for the source.

A small, green Pokemon with a leaf on its head jumped up onto the bed and stared at Khrista curiously.

"Morning," Khrista greeted with a slight grin. "Are you one of my roommates?"

The Chikorita jumped at the sound of her voice. "Yes," it replied hesitantly, sounding distinctly female.

Khrista smirked. "And the other two? Three of the bunkbeds were taken last night, right?" She pulled at the covers a little bit. "You mind getting off the bed for a sec?"

The Chikorita quickly jumped off the lower bunk, allowing Khrista to pull back the covers and got out of the bed and see the two other figures in the room: an Eevee, and a teenage boy about her age, with brown hair, hazel eyes with green specs, and completely dressed in blue from his cerulean-tinted shirt right down to his dark blue, slip-on shoes.

"Hi," Khrista greeted.

The boy eyed her warily. "You look...familiar," he stated, no malice or suspicion in his voice.

Khrista frowned slightly. "Same to you buddy." She looked around the drab cell and let out a sigh. "You'd think they'd at least hide the toilet from prying eyes so that neither of us would end up seeing each other."

The boy shrugged. "Your name wouldn't happen to start with a 'K,' would it?"

"And what if it did?" Khrista asked defensively. If this kid was like the ones Butch had been talking about, she had to be careful. Then she realized she had conversed with this boy in this sort of manner before...

"6 on 6, Hoenn Pokemon only," the boy stated.

"And no Legendaries," Khrista added with a grin. She remembered a family reunion that her father's family had set up a couple summers ago. There, she'd met three siblings - two girls, one boy - who were Pokemon enthusiasts.

"How ironic," Khrista murmured.

The Pokemon in the room made the connection, as well, and walked forward to stand in front of Khrista.

"The fallen empire and the Grass-Type Trainer," Khrista identified softly. Mentally, she added, _Maya and Tina._ "See you guys got pulled into this too, huh?"

"And not just us," the boy replied grimly.

_Joshua,_ Khrista remembered. "Yeah; I remember hearing about the kidnappings on the news. How long have you guys been here?"

Joshua shrugged. "Does it matter? Time stopped when he took over, remember?"

Khrista gave him an annoyed look. "It sounds like you're giving up a little too early."

Joshua gave her an odd look in return. "I never said that."

The steel door was thrown open with a bang, revealing Charon and Cassidy standing in a white hallway with a small, metal cage on wheels.

Khrista's eyes narrowed upon catching sight of the old scientist. "You'd almost think this guy is stalking me or something," she muttered.

"You two," Cassidy stated, pointing towards the Chikorita and the Eevee. "Both of you are needed for evaluation."

The two Pokemon looked at each other, then up at Joshua, who gave them a slight nod in return. The two then trotted over to the cage and clambered inside, the steel door shutting behind them.

Khrista's eyes quickly scanned the room, looking for anything that might record conversation.

"I've hidden them under my mattress and fed through loops of me wailing hopelessly," Joshua told Khrista calmly. "If they've caught me by now, they haven't done anything about it, just to be sure, though, I've been using code names: Eve, Chika, and I'm Alak."

"Alak...? Oh!" Khrista quickly recalled the Alakazam her cousin favored. "Any ideas for me, then?"

"Raze," the boy responded.

Khrista smirked, recalling the Blazikan that she had raised. "I can work with that. So, _Alak_, what exactly are we going to be doing for the day? We don't stay in here all the time, do we?"

Joshua let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head as he replied, "That's basically what they've been doing for some time, now. I think it's because I've got free will and they're not planning on exposing me to what plans they have anytime soon."

"Eve and...Chika seem to be all right," Khrista pointed out.

Joshua glanced around, then whispered in his cousin's ear, "That's because I freed them without Charon's notice."

Khrista gave him a surprised look.

"I'm serious," Joshua continued, still whispering. "They're searching for our names so that we can control us, so it makes sense that their names are the key to rescuing them."

Khrista frowned momentarily, then recalled that Ash had told her he had visited a friend of hers through the dreamscape, someone who had been through the same sort of free will retainer she had. It seemed as though Joshua was the one the Kanto Trainer had been referring to.

"If we could get out if this cell and find the other kids Cyrus kidnapped, we could easily get them to come to their senses," Khrista murmured.

"Getting out is the problem," Joshua muttered in reply. "That door's practically air-tight, so there's little to no chance of breaking it open anywhere short of melting it."

Khrista frowned, then looked around the room again. "Surely there's -"

"I've searched every nook and cranny," Joshua interrupted. "If there's any ventilation system, they've concealed it pretty well."

Khrista glared at her cousin. "You're not helping," she growled through clenched teeth.

"Then how would you suggest I be helpful?" the teen retorted bluntly.

"Get me something I can punch!"

Joshua looked a little startled at this. "Something you can punch?" he repeated, glancing downward.

"Something harder than a pillow, but something that won't damage my hands," Khrista stated in an annoyed tone.

"The only thing that would be like that would have to be the mattress, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you really want to sleep on the floor." Khrista's cousin motioned to the stone walls surrounding them. "That would be your best bet to get some anger out."

Khrista let out a roar and slammed into the wall, in between where the toilet and sink we're located. Much to both of the humans' surprise. The wall cracked from the tackle.

"Whoa," Khrista remarked, getting her bearings after her anger attack. "Did the wall just do what I think it did?"

"Looks like it," Joshua agreed. "Your shirt changed color, too."

Khrista looked down, only to see that her red shirt had changed to an orange color, causing her eyes to widen.

"This looks like the Fighting-Type's shade," she murmured, excited. Then she frowned. "But how do I change my shirt back to normal?"

"Beats me," her cousin replied. "You caused it to change color; you'll have to try and change it back, most likely the same way you caused it to change in the first place."

Khrista looked at the wall. "Well, it probably happened before I punched the wall, or maybe even during that. Before then..." She glanced back at Joshua. "I got mad at you. My best bet might be relaxing in order to return to normal." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. As she released the air, she felt a tingling sensation where her skin was in contact with her shirt.

"Well, that certainly did something," Joshua noted. "Now your shirt's an Ice-Type blue."

Khrista opened her eyes and looked down at her shirt, taking note of the pale blue color, then at the wall. Almost instinctively, she made a fist with her right hand and punched the wall. After a moment, ice spread from where her fist had come in contact with the wall, seeping into the cracks.

She looked over at Joshua. "Why don't you go ahead and punch it? The wall's probably not going to break into pieces now."

Joshua gave her an odd look. "I dunno..."

Khrista frowned. "And why not?"

"We should see what happens if you melt the ice," the boy explained. "Fire-Type is the color of your shirt, anyway."

Khrista nodded, understanding. "I see your point. But if Fighting's mad, what's Fire?"

"Furious," Joshua guessed. "You probably have to be furious about something."

Khrista frowned again. "And how do you suggest I get around to doing that?"

Joshua smirked. "It's not like I carry the answers in a rule book, you know."

Khrista glared at him. "Did you have to mention that at a time like this?" Her shirt began to darken to an orange shade.

"I'm trying to make you mad, remember?" Joshua chided. "That one girl's actually here, y'know. She's actually faring better than the others, if you count communicating with Cyrus that."

Khrista stiffened. "Why that no-good, lousy -" She let out a roar and charged at the wall. Almost instantly, the ice exploded into steam as she came in contact with it, flames coating her entire body.

Khrista let out a low growl. "Where is she now?"

"Honestly? She wasn't one of the people that Cyrus was looking for."

Khrista gave Joshua an odd look. "Seriously? She isn't here?"

Joshua shook his head. "Somehow, he managed to get ahold of Battle Videos of us competing, and watched them. The kids he liked, he kidnapped, and left the others behind."

"And good ol' Mandy was among those left behind," Khrista realized. She glanced down at her shirt, which was back to its normal red color, then at the wall. "We'll, it looks like that's going to collapse pretty soon." She smirked at Joshua. "Are you going to punch it now?"

Her cousin looked the wall over. "Actually, I don't think I have to." He walked over to the cracked, stone construct and pushed. The wall crumbled to the floor with a low rumble, revealing what looked like a wall of pipes. Surprisingly, none of them were connected to the now-demolished toilet and sink.

Khrista gave Joshua a quizzical look, and he explained, "When we went through that machine, it changed our bodily systems in some way. For instance, we're a bit more efficient with energy usage."

"So, toilets aren't needed?" Khrista asked tentatively.

"Pretty much. Meals are few and far between, too, so that ability - if you want to call it that - works to our advantage. Plus, I think they pump nutrients into the air we breath so that we can absorb them through our skin and let everybody else get the actual food."

Khrista frowned. "So, you're saying that you haven't really eaten anything?"

"Other than mystery soup." Joshua eyed the pipes. "Do you want to see where they lead?"

Khrista glanced up the wall of pipes. "Why not? But what about Chika and Eve?"

Joshua frowned. "That is going to be a bit of a problem. They're probably going to be fine, though. Those two know everything they can learn at this point about Pokemon and their abilities, as well as what makes Cyrus tick."

_Bet you don't know about Darkrai,_ Khrista thought. She let out a sigh. "Well, one of us should stay behind, just in case."

"And it's not going to be you," Joshua responded. "The two of us went through without being turned into zombies, meaning that they're going to start poking and prodding you to find the answer."

Khrista frowned. "And you're saying that they're not going to do it to you?"

"They already did," her cousin replied, showing her his left arm, which was covered in scars from needles. "If they do it to you, they're going to find out about these abilities of yours."

_He's right,_ Khrista realized. _And then who knows what they're going to do to me? However..._ "I don't suppose that you happen to have any abilities?"

"Just my tinkering," Joshua replied. "Which reminds me..." He went over to his bed and returned a moment later with a small device. "I gave Chika and Eve one of these sets already." He handed it to Khrista. "Put it in your left ear."

"What is it?" Khrista asked, inspecting the device. "Some sort of hearing aid?"

"My version of a communicator," Joshua explained. "It'll allow us to keep in touch."

Khrista smirked. "Does it work?"

"Of course! I tested each of them with the other two, just to be safe."

Khrista placed the device in her left ear. "How does it work?"

"You put one finger on your ear to talk; it'll do the listening part on its own. I've got it connected to the network, too, so if it needs a recharge, put two fingers on it. It'll get a full battery while you listen in on other people's conversations. People can possibly listen to ours, as well, so stick to using the code names for now."

The steel door's handle started to turn, causing the two teens' heads to turn in the door's direction.

"You've got to go _now_," Joshua hissed at Khrista.

"But -"

"I'll be fine; I've been here longer than you, remember? Now go!"

Khrista cast one last look in Joshua's direction, then launched herself at one of the larger pipes. As soon as she latched onto it, something clicked, turning her shirt into a sky blue shade, causing her to shoot upward, still holding onto the pipe. As soon as she was out of sight, she stopped moving and listened to what was going on below.

"Where is she?!" someone roared. Khrista recognized the voice as that of Saturn from the anime show, though she had never heard him yell at that volume before. "Where is the girl?"

Khrista resisted the urge to yell out her location with an added insult, instead increasing her grip on the pipe.

"Gone," Joshua stated in a bored tone.

"I can see that, you fool," Saturn hissed in reply. "Where did she go?"

"Sheesh, what are you, blind? The wall's gone, isn't it?"

Khrista's eyes widened, and she scrambled further up the pipe, knowing that Joshua was giving her the incentive to get out of there. Just as she had climbed up another foot or so, a flashlight beam showed on the area where she had been situated.

"Your friend won't get far," Saturn growled at Joshua as the beam vanished.

"Until this wall is repaired, you will be assigned to a different cell, and I know exactly where you're going to be staying."

A moment later, Joshua snapped, "I don't need to be dragged, thanks."

The lights in the room below went out as the door slammed shut, leaving Khrista alone in the dark.

_O.K., now I'm alone in a building that I don't know the floor plan for,_ Khrista thought as she started to move upward._ So, now what?_ She tried to find something above or below her that she could use as a landmark, only to fail miserably in the pitch-black, lightless void. The only thing that she knew was actually there was the pipe she gripped tightly.

"Well, hello there," said a voice. As Khrista looked around, startled, a Gengar materialized next to her, shining with its own eerie light. "I didn't expect to find a human hanging around here."

"I only just managed to escape from getting taken by Saturn somewhere," Khrista explained. "A...friend of mine gave me the assist. Unfortunately, I don't know where to go from here."

The Gengar eyed the teen suspiciously. "You can relax," it stated. "I've been haunting this place ever since your friend arrived here."

Khrista's eyes widened. "No way...Gangrene?"

"The one and only," the Pokemon replied with a smirk. "How long have you been in the building?"

"Two days," Khrista replied nervously. "I have no idea what they were planning on doing with me, either."

Gangrene nodded. "Fitness tests were the first day?"

"Yeah..."

"If you'd stayed any longer, they would've locked you up and experimented on you for at least a week. You're lucky you got out when you did."

"But now what? I know nix about this place, much less how I'm going to get around."

The female Gengar floated around the pipe, inspecting Khrista's hold on it. "I can help you," the Pokemon finally stated. "However, you're going to have to trust me and do what I'm about to tell you, 'k?"

Khrista nodded nervously. "All right. Just...don't kill me. I've had more than enough experience with that to last a lifetime."

Gangrene grinned mischievously. "That little tale's spread like wildfire among us Ghost-Types. What I'm going to have you do is a bit more...educational."


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Morning, Swamp!"

The Swampert opened his eyes and found himself staring into the face of his fellow Hoenn Starter, a Blazikan.

Swamp let out a grunt in response, getting up out of the mud pit he had been sleeping in. "Hey, Raze."

The Fire/Fighting-Type grinned at his friend. "The professors wanted to meet with you and a few others at their place, so they sent me to find you."

Swamp frowned, then recalled what had occurred with Victini the night before. "Did they tell you about anything in particular?"

Raze shook his head. "Only that it involved a Dugtrio and something about a mountain hideaway. Any idea what they were talking about?"

"I've got a hunch."

The two of them left that area of the Fields, Raze pestering Swamp with question s for more information, which Swamp refused to give.

Eventually, Swamp growled, "If you don't stop talking, I'm going to use Hydro Cannon to shut you up."

Raze grinned nervously. "Okay, okay! I'm shutting up!" He let out a short laugh. "Seriously, though - what do you think this meeting's about?"

Swamp smirked, knowing that the feisty Hoenn Starter had an unquenchable curiosity, then stated, "You'll see." This made the Fire/Fighting-Type even more antsy for the information he wanted.

As they arrived at the Professors' building location, Swamp took note that Professor Birch and Professor Oak were the two waiting for them, as well as a Dugtrio, and two boys who looked almost identical, only one had blue eyes and the other had the color of brown that matched their spiky hair. Victini floated beside them, a grin on his face.

Raze looked surprised. "Gary? Blue? If they're here, this has to be serious."

Swamp ignored him. "Did you find anything?"

"I talked to the Dugtrio this morning, and they confirmed that there has been some activity on Mt. Coronet," Birch explained, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"He's been trying to send these three off for the last hour," Oak added with a frown. "Of course he decided to send our strongest Trainers in search of a place that is nothing more than a rumor."

"And the reason you sent for me is...?"

"I suggested that you get a team together and go investigate the place yourself," Oak replied.

"I'm a Level 100, Professor. Are you certain that you want to do that?" Swamp looked at the two teens, who were watching this with slightly amused looks. "It would be as bad as sending one of those two out."

Birch smirked. "There, you see?"

Gary exchanged glances with Blue, then asked, "What are you planning, Birch?"

The professor beamed. "I'm glad you asked! I was hoping that Khrista's Swampert could go with a Trainer and another one of his team to investigate the mountain. Gary and Blue have done nothing but fight each other, so I figured they could use something else to do."

Blue frowned. "We fight each other because the other Trainers down here are too weak to stand a chance against us."

Raze coughed. "You could have fought us. Khrista did train us to our highest levels."

"But are you prepared to fight without her actually leading you in battle?" Blue challenged.

"We've had to live without her on certain occasions," Raze argued. "It happened every time she went to another Region and left us behind. It helped keep out instincts sharp, too."

"How else do you think I survived up there?" Swamp asked, pointing upwards.

Gary eyed the Swampert with a slight frown, a curious glint in his eyes. "What do you think, Blue?" he finally asked.

Blue's gaze moved from Gary, to Victini, to Raze, finally stopping on Swamp. "I'll go," he finally stated, "but only if the Blazikan isn't included."

Raze became flustered. "What? Why?"

"He owns a Charizard, remember?" Swamp chided. He looked at Blue. "Do you have any other Pokemon in mind?"

"Victini, you, that Raichu, and EverGreen," Blue listed. "That Sceptile doesn't get out enough."

Raze frowned. "I dunno...he's been helping the Exploration Teams out a lot lately. He might be too busy for this. Why not Verde?"

"He's going to be too slow," Gary countered. "You're going to need to get in and out of there fast."

Swamp's fingers snapped. "Raze, go get Leaf."

"Leaf?" Raze repeated. It then dawned on him who Swampert meant. "Oh! The Leafeon!" He frowned. "We haven't seen her. Sorry, buddy."

Swamp's eyes widened. "You don't mean to tell me that she's not here?"

Raze gave him a helpless, sorrowful look. "Sorry. Most of us managed to get out of the Box System in time, but there were a few of us who didn't make it. Cyrus has her."

Swamp was shocked. "Is there anyone else who didn't make it?"

"Terra...Char...and Bloom, that I know of," Raze listed. "It's possible that others didn't get out of there in time, either."

_"...can I recommend something?"_ Victini asked. Everyone turned to look at him as the Legendary continued, _"While it is__good to know who is here and who isn't, I think we should go out and take care of what we need to before having Swamp look at The List."_

Raze eyed the Unova Pokemon. "Do you have someone in mind?"

Victini nodded. _"Cedar! Come down from up there!"_

Swamp jumped as the Sceptile leapt off the building's roof, landing in front of them. The Grass-Type caught sight of this and smirked.

"Hey, Swamp," Cedar greeted. "It's been a while."

"Hello, Cedar," Swamp replied calmly. "I suppose you've been training since our last encounter."

"That I have. We ought to test each other sometime."

Raze glared at Cedar, then looked over at Victini. "You dared to bring him?"

Victini frowned. _"Why not? Joshua's Pokemon have the right to participate in this, too."_

Raze looked like he was going to blow a gasket, but Swamp stopped him, saying, "Hey! Cool it! He's on our side, remember?"

Taking note of the trio of Oaks' confusion, Cedar explained, "Team Magma found me as a Treeko and raised me. Raze and I have had some disagreements because of this."

"But Joshua's your Trainer," Blue pointed out.

"Because I asked him to be. They never used me in battle, and through that I realized that they were never going to. If there had been a team that loved forestry, I'd have probably ended up with them, but since there wasn't, I escaped from Magma's hideout and joined up with Joshua." The Pokemon smirked. "It felt great to take down Maxie's Mighteyna with only my Leaf Blade."

Swamp gave Raze a meaningful look. "There, you see?"

The Fire/Fighting-Type frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Fine. But that doesn't mean I'm going to leave off challenging you when you get back, Cedar."

The Sceptile smirked. "I'll be looking forward to it." He looked at Birch. "So, when do we get going?"

"As soon as Raichu gets here," the Birch professor replied, looking around. He then spotted the Pokemon in the distance. "There she is!"

Heads turned as Raichu arrived with her mate, another Raichu Khrista had nicknamed Sparkler, and their two children - a pair of Pikachus named Bolt and Volt.

"Hey, guys," Raichu greeted. "I got your message about the plan, Birch. Am I a part of the team?" Upon seeing the Hoenn Professor nod, she asked, "Are we leaving now?"

Birch nodded again. "Are you prepared?"

"I have her Treasure Bag right...here." Sparkler pulled a small, yellow handbag out of nowhere. "It has plenty of Oran Berries, as well as two Reviver Seeds and three Max Elixirs."

Raichu accepted the Treasure Bag with a smile. "Thank you." She quickly flung it over her shoulder, saying, "You mentioned we were traveling somewhere by tunnel..."

"Mt. Coronet," Blue explained. "We're going to be investigating a rumor concerning a possible Elite Four hideout there."

Raichu's eyes widened. "The Elite Four? Which one?"

_"All of them,"_ Victini replied with a smile. _"Kanto, Jhoto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and my home of Unova. There might even be some Trainers that managed to escape Cyrus' wrath."_

Raichu looked at Swamp. "You mean that Steven might be there?"

"The stone collector?" Cedar asked thoughtfully. "It's possible." He looked down at the Dugtrio. "Where's the tunnel that leads to Mt. Coronet?"

One of the Ground-Type's three heads pointed forward, toward where the two identical buildings stood side by side. "Between the gyms," the Pokemon explained. "It was discovered when a Golem used by an inexperienced Trainer set off an Earthquake."

Raze chuckled. "Everybody learned a lesson that day." He looked over to the stone huts. "Inferno's waiting for me; I'd better get going."

"Yet another reason why you aren't coming along," Gary added.

The Blazikan snorted. "Ah, shut yer yap." With that, the Fire/Fighting-Type walked off to find the Infernape.

"I promised the kids I'd teach them Volt Tackle today," Sparkler remarked to Raichu. "Try to find us when we get back."

Raichu nodded. "See you three later."

"Bye, Mom," Volt and Bolt chorused. The trio of Electric-Types then left.

Swamp nodded to Blue. "Let's go."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Khrista glared murderously at Gangrene as she materialized next to the teen. "Next time you decide to possess me, I'd appreciate the warning!"

The Gengar smirked. "But then you'd have put your defenses up, and I wouldn't have been able to get in. At least I got you out of that predicament."

The two of them were standing in what looked - and felt - like an abandoned storage room. There was a small number of blankets and a couple open crates with Berries and what looked like food rations, as well as two electric lamps. Beside one of these sat a meditating Alakazam, eyes closed.

_"I see that you're back,"_ the Alakazam noted. Khrista was surprised to hear it speak using telepathy, but didn't say anything.

"And I brought a friend," Gangrene added.

_"I sensed her presence the moment you arrived. Khrista, is it?"_

Khrista nodded. "Yes, that's me." She frowned slightly. "You wouldn't happen to be Alak, would you?"

_"Correct. I suppose you're wondering why Gangrene and I are living here."_ The Alakazam opened his yes and floated to the floor.

Khrista nodded. "I was wondering whether or not Gangrene had been forced to the other side." She sat down beside the Pokemon.

_"Team Galactic cannot do that to the Pokemon who belong to Trainers with their free will kept,"_ Alak explained. _"For example, you and Joshua have retained your free will, so we have ours, as well. Pray tell, how did you escape?"_

"These...abilities, I guess you could call them, suddenly showed up when Joshua and I were alone in our cell, after Maya and Tina were taken out for one reason or another," Khrista explained. "First, I punched the wall, and these cracks appeared. My shirt went from red to orange, too. So Josh and I both thought that I had Fighting-Type abilities somehow. When I tried to change my shirt back by calming down, I developed Ice-Type abilities and froze the wall. Then Joshua got me mad on purpose, turning on Fire-Type abilities, which let me break down the wall."

"I saw the rest," Gangrene stated. Turning to look at Alak, she finished Khrista's story. "Our Trainer told Khrista to escape, saying that it would be better for her to get out of there. She slipped out just as the old man's grandson came in, her shirt becoming sky blue." The Pokemon motioned to Khrista, whose shirt had retained that color. "Saturn took off with him, leaving Khrista alone in the dark. And that's when I revealed myself to her."

Alak nodded. _"So I gathered."_ He looked at Khrista. _"You haven't been here for long, have you?"_

Khrista shook her head. "It's only been two, maybe three days. I have no idea how to get around this building, much less how to control these abilities." As her panic rose, her body did, as well, floating upward. "Do you think you could help me with that?"

The Alakazam reached up, bringing her back to earth gently. _"I believe that I can,"_ he replied calmly. _"But first, you should eat."_ Motioning to one of the crates, Alak removed a package using Telekinesis and brought it over to Khrista.

Khrista smiled in thanks at the Psychic-Type, then opened the package, which contained the following items: a PB&J sandwich, a small bag of BBQ-flavored potato chips, a small, refillable bottle of water, and hat looked like a bag of purple powder.

Khrista lifted up the bag of powder. "What is this?" she asked, disgusted.

"Black Sludge, perhaps?" Gangrene suggested. "If it's in the food rations, they were probably planning on giving it to some kid to eat later."

Khrista set the bag of powder off to one side and attacked the sandwich. A look of delight came across her features at the first bite, and she finished it off quickly, attacking everything else in the same manner, leaving the powder untouched.

Alak inspected the bag, poking it with one of his spoons. _"This doesn't seem to be a food of any sort,"_ he noted.

Khrista nodded in agreement, lifting the bag to inspect its contents more closely. "Yeah. It kinda looks like colored sand..."

The device in her left ear crackled. ::_Whatever you do, don't open the bag::_

Khrista jumped a little out of surprise, then placed her left index finger on her ear. "And why not?"

_::It's a tracking device they use to watch where we are. Charon invented it not long after I got here. I've eaten it only because they actually watch me. I wouldn't suggest that you do the same::_

Khrista placed the bag back in the package she had found it in. "I get the picture. Where did Saturn relocate you to?"

"Who're you talking to?" Gangrene asked, suspicious.

"Your Trainer," Khrista explained. "He gave me a device that allows us to talk to each other."

_::Who're you talking to?::_

"You'll never guess who found me hanging onto that pipe," Khrista stated with a smirk.

_::Try me. You found Pokemon who aren't being controlled, didn't you?::_

"I guess you could say that. I'll give you a hint: you usually usually partner them up in Double Battles."

_::...Ah. Those two are hanging out here?::_

"Yup. So again, I ask: where are you?"

_::In a different cell with Eve and Chika. We're definitely being watched, so I'm trying to be careful with what I say::_

"Gotcha. Done anything with any machines yet?"

_::No. We're being guarded by Plasma grunts who somehow managed to retain enough free will to converse with us::_ There was some static for a moment, then Joshua added, ::_They keep trying to say that Cyrus is an idiot, but keep stopping and hitting themselves in the head. It seems as though they are being controlled, and they're aware of it, which makes it seem worse for them. They called the mindless kids and Pokemon lucky::_

Khrista frowned. "Any idea on how to take down Cyrus?"

_::Where did that question come from?::_

"It's got to be done, and you know it. So, any ideas?"

Joshua hesitated. ::_For now, just work on controlling your abilities. The Pokemon can help with that. Over and out::_

As Khrista released her ear, Alak inquired, _"Well?"_

"Josh suggested that I work on controlling my abilities before we talk about taking Cyrus down," Khrista explained. "You can help me with that, right?"

Gangrene grinned. "But of course!" She started to crack her knuckles, a mischievous grin on her face.

_"I believe that my assistance is what she needs right now,"_ Alak stated.

Gangrene gave the Alakazam an odd look, then sighed and nodded.

Alak then turned to look at Khrista. _"Let us begin..."_


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Here we are - Mt. Coronet." Dugtrio turned to look at the group. "This is as far as we dare to go."

Blue looked out beyond the Ground-Type, taking note that the tunnel split into two up ahead. "Do you know where the tunnels lead?"

The Dugtrio shook its heads. "No, we don't. However, we have sensed that one of the tunnels leads to the surface, while the other goes deeper underground." The Pokemon motioned to the left and to the right as he said this. "Other than that, we don't know where that lead."

Swamp frowned, then got down on his forearms since they had been traveling at a slow enough pace for him to walk on his hind legs. "There's some sort of seismic activity taking place over in that direction," he noted, pointing toward the left tunnel. "Almost like someone is using Earthquake or Magnitude at the top of the mountain."

Raichu frowned, as well. "I feel the tremors, too, but it doesn't feel like a Ground-type attack."

Cedar shook his head. "It isn't. I know Ground-Type moves, and this doesn't feel like one."

"What is it, then?" Blues asked.

Victini, who had been on the Trainer's shoulder, floated off into the empty air in front of the group. _"There's an energy in the air...one I've felt only a few times back home..."_ He turned and faced the others. _"There's a Dragon using Draco Meteor on this mountain."_

Swamp and Raichu looked at each other.

"We know a lot of Pokemon that can use Draco Meteor..." Swamp started.

"...but only one is missing from the Underground," Raichu finished.

Cedar seemed to get where the two were going. "You have got to be kidding. You think he's here?"

"He fled the scene after he took down Giratina," Raichu pointed out. "It's possible that he came here."

"Who're you talking about?" Blue inquired.

"Rayquaza," Swamp replied. "Blue, we need to scout ahead and find out what's going on over there."

The Kanto Gym Leader considered this for a moment, then nodded. Looking down at the Dugtrio, he stated, "You can stay here and guard the tunnel for us until we get back. Are you okay with that?"

The Ground-Type nodded.

Blue then nodded to the other Pokemon. "Keep quiet. We don't know whether or not your friend is the one setting off the tremors." When the Pokemon had nodded in agreement, the group started for the other tunnel, leaving Dugtrio behind.

As they went, Swamp began to pick up something in the air. Glancing at Raichu, he muttered, "Golbats."

The Electric-Type nodded. "I sensed them, too," she murmured. "Almost as though they're watching us..." She trailed off and shot a small stream of electricity into the air. Above them, the flapping increase as a flying Pokemon moved to avoid it.

"Definitely Golbats," Cedar remarked. "It looks like they're not interested in fighting with us, though. Is it possible that they're just watching us, like you said?"

Blue looked up at the cave ceiling, searching for the Poison/Flying-Types. He caught sight of one hanging upside down, its mouth seeming to glint with its own light. This caused the Kanto Trainer to frown slightly, then allow a small smile to creep over his face.

The Golbat, taking note of this, flew off its perch and into the darkness of the tunnel.

Meanwhile, the thudding noise was beginning to become louder, and the ground shook more violently at certain times. Occasionally, there were faint roars that accompanied them, which grew steadily louder the deeper the group went. Eventually, Raichu started to bounc on her hind feet with excitement.

"That's Rayquaza's voice!" she identified. "It has to be!"

Swamp nodded in agreement, the group slowly picking up its pace. "Only one Rayquaza roars like that when he unleashes his strongest attack. It has to be him."

Victini, who had a large grin on his face, suddenly stopped, hollering, _"Wait! I sense others! A human and another Pokemon! It could be Team Galactic!"_

The group stopped and looked at him, then at each other, considering the situation.

"Let's proceed with caution," Blue suggested. "Remember - we're in uncharted territory."

The Pokemon nodded in agreement, then started forward again, ready for any sort of attack that might come their way. Up ahead, the tunnel started to widen and lighten up.

"Stop, guys," Cedar warned. "I think we've found our source."

In the cavern at the end of the tunnel, a Salamence was looking at Rayquaza with an unidentifiable emotion, while a bare chested man with a a rather extravagant coat and ship captain's hat leaned against the wall on the other side of the cavern, which was lined with torches.

_"Do you get it?"_ Rayquaza asked. _"I'm in my last legs with this move, and I don't want to use it again for demonstration."_

The Salamence nodded. "I think I do."

_"Are you willing to give it a try, then?"_

The Dragon/Flying-Type Rayquaza was speaking to frowned, obviously concentrating on something. He then let out what sounded like a primeval roar, causing meters to appear above him and crash to the ground around Rayquaza, who dodged the move with ease.

_"That's is!"_ Rayquaza exclaimed with delight. _"You've done it, Salamence! Draco Meteor has been mastered!"_

The pupil looked pleased and was about to break into a smile when his nose twitched. The almost-grin instantly vanished, and the Hoenn Pokemon turned its head in the direction of the group in hiding. "Who's there?" he growled.

The bare chested sailor looked down the tunnel. "Come out!" he ordered.

Raichu, Swamp, and Cedar exchanged glances, then looked over at Blue and Victini. Blue, upon catching sight of the looks on their faces, nodded.

As soon as the permission was given, the three dashed out of the tunnel and tackled Salamence, the action catching the giant Pokemon off guard. Blue and Victini exited the tunnel not too long after them.

"Drake, right?" Blue asked, eyeing the man in front of him.

The Elite Four member nodded. "And you're the Viridian Gym Leader, Blue."

Blue nodded, then turned his gaze to where Salamence was conversing with the three other Pokemon. "What are you doing in Mt. Coronet?"

"I was considering asking you the same question. It's not every day a Gym Leader comes back from the grave, you know."

Blue looked a little confused by the statement, then realized what Drake was alluding to. "We asked Gengar to spread a rumor that Cyrus had found us in order to throw people off our trail. We'd heard that Cyrus had taken you and brainwashed all the Elite Fours to do his bidding."

Drake looked amused. "An old wives' tale, just like yours, only we asked the Frontier Tower Tycoon's Cresselia to spread it around."

Raichu, who had overheard this, chuckled. "I though something was fishy about that dream!" She looked at Rayquaza, still grinning. "And where have you been hiding?"

_"Here,"_ the Legendary replied. He seemed a little stiff to the Electric-Type, so she tried to warm him up a little.

"Have you heard?" Raichu asked. "The Lake Spirits were set free by Arctic, not long after you released Giratina."

Rayquaza flinched; the opposite of what the Electric-Type was hoping for. _"I came here to get away from that! That's why I ran after...after..."_ Rayquaza turned away from Raichu, refusing to look at her.

Drake and Blue exchanged glances as the other Pokemon approached Rayquaza.

"Are you saying you haven't heard?" Raichu asked. When the Legendary Pokemon didn't respond, she continued, "Khrista's alive, Rayquaza, and she's retained her freedom, even inside Cyrus' fortress. The Lake Spirits told us this after Arctic managed to release them."

"Cyrus won't be kidnapping anymore kids, either," Swamp added.

Victini nodded. _"According to Swamp and Raichu, Azelf destroyed the mechanical reviver."_

Rayquaza looked at each of his friends in turn, confusion clear on his face. _"How am I to believe you?"_

Salamence smirked. "Your Draco Meteor's still pretty powerful," he noted. "Almost as though your bond with her still exists."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Cedar demanded.

"If a Dragon Pokemon's Trainer dies, the Draco Meteor attack is weakened by half," Salamence explained. "Rayquaza's Draco Meteor has not. So, logic states that his Trainer is alive."

Rayquaza realized what Salamence was saying. _"But what if she is under their control? How can you be sure she's free?"_

_"Because I made sure that she is."_

Heads turned as Azelf entered the cavern from a tunnel the visitors hadn't seen upon arrival. He was followed by Uxie, Mesprit, and the Jhoto Champion, Lance.

_"After Arctic freed us, I messed with his machine, so that it would let Khrista keep her free will, then break down afterwards,"_ Azelf explained with a grin. _"Joshua had the same sort of situation happen to him, though Uxie says it was a happy accident."_

_"Because it was,"_ Uxie stated. _"We didn't know that was going to happen until we realized Mewtwo had his fingerprints all over that one."_

Swamp and Raichu exchanged glances of surprise. "Mewtwo did what?" they asked.

_"Snuck into Cyrus' lair, fiddles with the controls, and snuck out," _Mesprit explained. _"He did it with Jirachi's help, but unfortunately..."_

"...they caught the Wishmaker," Blue guessed.

The Lake Spirits looked miserable. Lance saw this, and smirked.

"Careful," he warned. "You could end up like our moping Rayquaza friend over there. There's still a chance that we can rescue the captured Legendaries and Trainers."

Uxie nodded in agreement. _"And Khrista and her cousin can help, too. They can destroy them from the inside out, while we work from the outside in."_

"However, no one group can do it alone," Lance stated. "These three were just about to reveal your location when they sensed your arrival."

Blue smirked. "I knew that Koga was keeping an eye on us. His Golbat was following us in the tunnel." He pointed to the opening in the cave wall his group had come through.

Lance nodded. "Koga told me after they did." He smirked. "I don't suppose you know how Silver is doing?"

Blue looked surprised. "Giovanni's kid?" He frowned. "I haven't seen him, Lance. No one has since we fled underground."

_"Gold and Crys are with us, though,"_ Victini added.

Lance frowned, concern crossing his face. It was gone a moment later, however. "Have any of you tried to raid the towns on the surface?"

Blue shook his head, but Cedar nodded.

"The Pokemon Exploration Teams do it on a regular basis," the Sceptile explained. "Most of the time, it's because a Pokemon is in trouble, and they have to go up there and rescue them from being trapped in the storeroom of some modified Pokemon Center." Cedar snickered. "You wouldn't believe how much food they bring back from a raid."

"I think we can," Salamence remarked. "We've been doing it almost nightly, now."

_"And we can help you solve that problem,"_ Uxie stated. _"Lance, find a couple able-bodied and eager Trainers. We're going to the Underground."_


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Khrista glared down at the room below her as she crawled across the steel ceiling. Normally, she might have called this off as some sort of illusion a museum might have set up as an extravagant physics exhibit, but she knew that this wasn't the case. She was actually crawling on a stone-cold ceiling while Galactic grunts worked rigorously with the mindless children and Pokemon they had kidnapped.

_"Careful,"_ Alak warned through a telepathic link. _"You don't want to be spotted when you're supposed to be missing."_

_I know,_ Khrista responded. She quickly glanced at her shirt to make sure it was still a light shade of green, which it was. _But why do I have to practice here when I could where you are?"_

_"It would be best if you recognized those under enchantment before we contact Joshua next. In this way, we can release more children and put your plan into action."_

Khrista nodded. _Right. _She moved over to a corner of the room and situated herself above a security camera, keeping up the camouflage ability Gangrene had taught her. Thanks to Alak's little psychic "spell," Khrista was able to access certain Types and keep them under control. The Alakazam hadn't told her what he had done, exactly, but the teen suspected that Hypnosis was most likely to have been involved.

A flash of red appeared n the corner of her eye, and Khrista's head turned to the left in order to find the source, she caught sight of a boy dressed completely in black, with shoulder-length hair, standing beside a Feraligatr.

Khrista's eyes widened. _Oh, no._

_"What is it?"_ Alak asked, sensing worry in her thoughts.

_They have the rival in the Jhoto games - Silver, I think his name is._ Khrista's eyes scanned the room. _I don't see any Elite Four or Champion members, so that's a relief..._ Khrista caught sight of another Trainer. _I see a couple friends of mine, too - Alia and Kira, siblings who are Kanto experts. And then Kira's boyfriend Max, who's a Sinnoh fanatic, and his younger brother, Collin, who's a Jhoto Trainer. There's a lot of Pokemon, too, but I'm not sure if any of them are people I know..._

_"We'll, it's certainly a start. Now, get back here so that we can work on your attacks."_

_All right. Give me at least five minutes to get over there._

Khrista moved away from the corner and scurried across the steel ceiling, which was easy here because pipes didn't cross it in all directions, which they did everywhere else in the building. Occasionally, she had to skirt a large, fluorescent light, but other than that, the steel ceiling was clear of any obstacles that might cause her to fall into the activity below.

As soon as Khrista had scrambled into the vent she had used to get into the room, Gangrene appeared in front of her.

"We need to talk about something," the Gengar stated.

Khrista frowned. "Talk about what?"

The Gengar looked around, motioned for the teen to follow her through the duct, then started walking. Khrista crawled after her, the teen's shirt becoming a dark purple as she began to levitate.

"There's something that Joshua probably doesn't know about," Gangrene began. "Something Alak and I are well-familiar with."

"What is it?"

Gangrene looked at Khrista. "A rebel underground."

Khrista's eyes widened. "You have got to be kidding me. There's an actual resistance group? One that managed to avoid Cyrus' control?"

The Pokemon nodded. "Alak and I used to live there, but the two of us slipped away without the others noticing, because it got to be boring down there. No one knows that we're here."

"And they're located where?"

Gangrene pointed down. "Directly below this skyscraper, and spread as far as the other side of the PokeBall Graveyard. To be literal, they're directly beneath our feet."

Khrista was surprised. "Wow. And they don't dig up and attack Cyrus from below?"

"That's what Professor Birch wants to do, but it's almost impossible, considering the amount of security they have up all around the building. How Arctic freed the Lake Spirits, I have no idea."

"Arctic..." Khrista murmured. "You mean Articuno, right?" She frowned. "Where did you hear about that?"

"Well, we have to go down there once in a while to gather supplies and information. I think the last time I was down there, I heard a rumor about how the Elite Fours and Champions of every region were hiding out in Mt. Coronet..."

Khrista's eyes widened, and she grinned hugely. "Oh, boy. When Josh and I set the date, you ought a let those guys know. If we can have a three-way attack, Cyrus' forces are gonna be hammered!"


	16. Chapter 15

**Hey, guys! Sorry I haven't been able to get to updating for a while. I'm excited to say that I now have a follower! No reviews yet, though. Don't be afraid to talk to me, guys!**

**Now, back to the story!**

Chapter 15

"Birch, those kids have been gone for far too long," Rowan warned. "They might have been discovered."

"Or, they could have found the Elite Fours!" Birch countered. "They could be conversing with them and...time flew by."

"But two hours?" Oak asked with a frown. "Even I would like to stay optimistic, old friend, but I don't know if that's possible."

The region professors were standing near the tunnel that led to Mt. Coronet, which was positioned between the two buildings the Gym Leaders used to battle challengers, who came on a daily basis to make their Pokemon stronger. At this point in the day, both Gyms were crackling with electricity as Volkner and Lt. Surge answered "the call of duty": two Trainers with a Swampert, a Wiscash, and a Quagsire, and a Golem, a Gigalith, and a Sandslash.

Birch frowned. "I highly doubt that they've run into any sort of trouble," he stated. "Cyrus got what he wanted, so he shouldn't want anything to do with that old mountain anymore."

"Then why do you think he left it there?" Rowan countered. "Because, as the myths state, that's where the world began, to that's where he began his. That mountain still has some importance left." The Sinnoh professor let out a sigh. "I wouldn't be surprised if Blue and the others ran into trouble."

In the tunnel, there was suddenly the sound of many shoes hitting the smooth, rocky floor. Te professors turned to face the tunnel, each reaching for a PokeBall belt they had hidden underneath their lab coats.

Dugtrio zoomed out of the tunnel like he'd been shot out of a cannon. "m he exclaimed. Much to the professors' surprise, the Pokemon the grinning.

"What kind of company?" Juniper inquired hesitantly.

"My kind of company."

The professors looked at the tunnel, eyes widening in surprise when they saw who had spoken.

"Hey, Prof," Red said, grinning at Professor Oak. "Long time, no see. How have you guys been doing?"

"Crushed any Galactic members under your feet lately?" Pika added with a smirk.

Taking note of the professors' speechless, astonished looks, Red continued, "And I'm not the only one Blue found, either." He stepped to one side, revealing Lance, Alder, Steven and Cynthia with a Dragonite, Volcarona, Aggron, and Garchomp by their respective Trainers' sides.

"The Elite Four groups are staying back at Mt. Coronet to make sure that no one disturbs our supplies," Pika added. "A couple of 'em have apprentices, too."

"Apprentices?" Juniper repeated.

Alder nodded, a smile on his face. "Trip and his cousin, Black, have been working round the clock with Marshal, Grimsely, Catherine, and Chauntal." The red-headed Champion chuckled. "Iris joined up with them and had challenged me to a battle once this whole thing is over and done with."

"And my kids?" Birch asked. "Sapphire and Brendan?"

"Working with Juan and Drake," Steven replied calmly. "Ruby had been training with me, and May with Will and Lorelle. Norman has nothing to be afraid of."

"You tell him that."

Blue, Swamp, Cedar, Raichu, and Victini came out of the tunnel, followed by the Lake Spirits. "Ruby and the others weren't exactly happy to stay behind," the Kanto Trainer warned.

"We can arrange for a field trip later," Lance replied. "For now, we need to take stock of our resources and start planning out raids on the nearby towns. After that, we can start discussing an attack on Cyrus directly."

"Attack Cyrus directly?" Oak repeated. "Have you lost your senses?"

_"No, we haven't,"_ Uxie replied from the group. _"We have allies on the inside who can assist us."_

_"Khrista and Joshua,"_ Mesprit added. _"Those two have retained their free will and are more than willing to strike when the time comes. However, we need to contact then in order to make this work."_

"Do you mean to tell us that you already have a plan?" Professor Birch inquired, his excitement building.

_"It's still a little rough around the edges,"_ Azelf admitted. _"And there is a large amount of information we don't have yet, like how many Pokemon and Trainers are available for Te attack, as well as their strengths. I'm sure that you have some ideas for those numbers."_

The professors exchanged glances their thoughts clear on their faces. Eventually, Professor Birch looked back at the group, a huge grin on his face.

"Where do you want to start?" the Hoenn professor asked.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_::Finally, the guards have left. Where are you, Raze?::_

"In hiding," Khrista replied. "One of the two left on a small errand and should return within the hour."

_::An errand? They'd better not to be raiding the storeroom again::_

"Not that type of errand. It's one I asked her to adjust some scouting, that's all." Khrista frowned. "Besides, we don't really need to raid anywhere right now. Why ask such a question?"

_::Apparently, food and supplies have been disappearing almost daily. If it isn't you guys, it's probably some sort of guerrilla group that's been causing trouble::_

"The Gengar mentioned something about a group like that," Khrista admitted. "You don't happen to know anything about them, do you?"

_::...No. All I know is that someone's bothering the people in this building::_

"I'm back!" Gangrene called out as she materialized in the storeroom. Noticing Khrista, she asked, "Is Joshua on?"

"Yeah, he is," Khrista confirmed.

"Tell him that things are really starting to heat up down there! The two groups have finally joined up, and they're getting ready!"

"Getting ready for what?" the teen asked, frowning. "And didn't you say there was only one group?"

Alak who had been meditating, opening his eyes and looked at the Gengar. _"Please, tell us."_

"Apparently, that rumor about the Elite Fours and Champtions hiding out in Mt. Coronet was true," Gangrene explained. "Just today, a small group from the Underground investigated the mountain tunnels and found the Elite Fours' headquarters! Professor Birch and Lance were taking stock of how many Pokemon are down there in order to figure out a strategy, and that's where I heard about it from a Unova Legendary talking with his friends...Victini, I think it was?"

Khrista's eyes widened. "Whoa. We'd better get ready."

_::Khrista, what did they just tell you?::_

Khrista, remembering that Joshua was on the other end, replied, "We need to come up with a battle plan, before the guerrilla group attacks. That way, we can take 'em from the inside out and the outside in. Gangrene and Alak can travel back and forth, so they can let us know when they're toting ready to attack so that we can set things in motion."

_::Have you tried going to this place yet?::_

"No, I haven't." Khrista eyed Gangrene. "Do you think I could visit the Underground?"

The Pokemon thought for a second, then shook her head. "It'd be best that they think and know you're here, rather than see you wander about freely."

Khrista nodded. "The ghost says no; it'd be better if I remained here."

_::I thought as much. Keep the reunion off until afterwards. Who did you find?::_

"Silver, Alia, Kira, Max, and Collin," Khrista listed.

_::Silver? As in the in-game Jhoto rival?::_

"Exactly. The others are friends of mine, who probably don't live in your neighborhood. Do you know of anyone that I don't?"

_::Just two: a pair of boys with a Riolu and a Torchic. Their names are Rick and Lucas. They're a couple Trainers who used specific Types. Both of them have challenged me a couple times::_

"A couple?"

_::...Okay, they tried to battle me daily, but I only allowed them to do it once a month. The Riolu and Torchic evolution lines were their favorites::_

Khrista nodded. "Well, that makes seven altogether, nine if you count your siblings. How many more kids have been brought here, do you think?"

_::A lot. One hundred, at least. You remember the number of people who used the Global Link, right? There's got to be some who didn't use it, too::_

"Yeah...2 million's a big number. But there might be some who managed to escape Cyrus, too, right? Some that make up the number of rebels out there?"

"There are," Gangrene confirmed. "At least fifty, maybe seventy-five. There are even a few stragglers wandering around the world outside."

Khrista repeated the numbers to Joshua, then added, "And remember, there might not be all that many - he only got a small number, the select few he wanted. It's possible that he ignored a large number of Trainers - the majority, even."

_::It's also possible that he ignored the minority::_

Khrista led out a sigh. "I'll go back and have another look later. If your little sisters recognize anybody, let me know."

_::Gotcha. Over and out::_

Khrista dropped her left hand and smiled at the two Pokemon with her. "Well, looks like it's back to training for me."

Alak nodded, standing up. _"Now would be the perfect time to work on Psychic attacks."_

Khrista's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

The Psychic-Type nodded. _"The mind is a powerful thing, and all Pokemon use it as a trigger for their abilities: originally, all abilities were unlocked by a mental command. However, when Trainers came into existence, that was changed to a verbal shout, to adapt to the new customs the humans had. And yet, there are some who keep up the tradition of a mental link."_

"Does Joshua?" Khrista inquired.

"You and other Trainers from that world of yours are all capable of it," Gangrene stated. "There are some of this world who are capable of the mental link, but they are few and far between."

Alak let out a cough to have the attention returned to him, and he continued, _"The trick with Psychic attacks is to be capable of summoning energy and condensing it into the attack you desire to use."_

"Well, that explains moves like Psycho Cut and Barrier, but what about Psychic, Teleport, and Agility?"

_"Ah. Those moves involve a mind strong enough to interact with the foe's, which you will undoubtedly be unable to master at this time. For now, let us concentrate on the constructs and levitation of objects."_

Khrista let out a sigh, her shirt becoming a bright shade of pink. "All right, then. Which do you want me working on first?"


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Two Pokemon are missing?"

The Haunter in front of Sabrina nodded. "Two of Joshua's team - an Alakazam and a Gengar, named Alak and Gangrene, respectively. They have lived down here for some time, now, but usually keep to themselves. Normally, we we them from time to time in the nest they've built near each other, but some Pokemon have began to notice that they've been appearing less and less, and never together. It's been thought that they're living elsewhere, possible in a safe haven of their own."

The Psychic Gym Leader frowned. "Do what you can to find them, Cackle. We need everyone in this."

Cackle nodded, then flew off into the Fields.

_"I've got an idea as to where they are hiding."_

The Kanto Trainer's head turned, and she caught sight of a Gallade. "And you are?"

_"I am called Gawain,"_ the Pokemon replied. _"One of Joshua's team."_ He moved over to where Sabrina stood. _"Alak and Gangrene wished to be closer to our Trainer, so they move."_

"You mean they're -"

_"Correct. However, they aren't with him."_

Sabrina frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

_"They're up there, but they're with Joshua's rival-cousin, Khrista."_ Noticing the curious look she was giving him, Gawain explained, _"Gangrene dropped by when the Champions arrived, looking for information. I approached her and learned of where thy were hiding and what they had been doing."_ The Gallade smirked. _"They hope to plan a rebellion."_

Sabrina eyed Gawain, curiosity on her face. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

Gawain shook his head. _"Gangrene prefers to keep things secret, and I'm one of the few she trusts to keep my mouth shut. I broke my promise because we're going to need a plan of attack with her input, whether she likes it or not."_

The Gym Leader nodded. "I'll make sure the professors are aware of this. If your friend comes to visit, I want an update on the situation."

_"Of course, my lady."_ With that, the Gallade bowed and left.

Cackle flew to his Trainer's side. "Not a trace of either of them," he reported.

Sabrina nodded in acknowledgement. "A Gallade told me where they're hiding; we've got nothing to worry about them." She eyed the Haunter. "Come on; we should get to the main square. I heard they're planning something special for dinner tonight."

The Ghost/Poison-Type became interested. "This should be good," he remarked with a wicked grin.

"No tricks at dinner, Cackle. I thought we'd already talked about this."

"Aww, come on, Sabrina! Just one?"

"No; Morty is still mad about that last one."

As the two of them arrived in the area the Trainers called "the Square" - because most of their activities took place there and it was surrounded by the other buildings in a square shape - Red approached them, Pika on his shoulder and Vee, his Espeon, trotting along to his left.

"Hey, Sabrina," the Kanto Champion greeted. "Finished already?"

"You're surprised?" the Psychic retorted. "You needn't be."

The Trainer chuckled. "Professor Oak said there were hundreds upon thousands of each Type and species of Pokemon, so we figured that it would take some time before all of them were accounted for." Red eyed the Haunter. "You wouldn't happen to be the Haunter my little brother met, would you?"

Cackle nodded. "Cackle the Jokester, at your service," he stated with a mock bow, a grin on his face.

"I thought you specialized in Psychic-Types," Pika remarked.

"Ash brought him to me and got me out of one of my moods," Sabrina explained. "It's thanks to him that I don't have them anymore."

Red looked surprised. "Really? I didn't even think you had moods."

"I started having them after you made a permanent home out of Mt. Silver."

"Oh." Red glanced down at Vee. "We missed a lot when we were up there."

"You really think so?" the Espeon retorted with sarcasm, a smirk on the Pokemon's face. "Come on, Red, let's get to where the food is."

The Kanto Champion smirked. "I'm all for that." He gave Sabrina a quick wave, running for the long table that had been set out and covered in food. As soon as the three got there, they were quickly joined by the rest of Red's team.

"He's really something," Liza remarked as she and her twin brother, Tate, came in from the Fields with Lunar and Solar.

"To think, that someone could live on a mountain for over three years without going mad from no human contact," Tate added. "At least, no contact from us."

Liza nodded. "The other world Trainers challenged him often while he was up there..."

"...giving him the type of training we have experienced, as well."

"But not at the magnitude he has."

Sabrina eyed the twins. The knowledge of their telepathic connection wasn't new to her; she had conversed with them before. However, she also knew what most people didn't: the Gym Leaders of Mossdeep had a network of Psychic Pokemon so extensive, the two knew exactly how many of the other-world Trainers actually appeared here in the forms of the mute holograms and trained up the Pokemon in the area. Surprisingly, that number wasn't as large as some of the Pokemon and Trainers of this world had originally thought.

"I suppose that you two are done, as well?" Sabrina inquired.

Liza nodded. "All of the Lunatone -"

" - and Solrock -" Tate interrupted.

"- are accounted for," Liza finished. She turned to look at the Square, where the Trainers and Pokemon were beginning to gather, then back at Sabrina. "We'd better get over there, before they eat everything -"

"- and leave us with nothing," Tate added. With that, the two Hoenn Gym Leaders ran into the crowd.

As Sabrina was making her way towards the table herself, Vapor and a female Glaceon (whom Khrista had nicknamed Glacier) were having a family reunion, with Mist, a blue-furred Eevee, clambering all over her father.

"Where are we going to see Khrista, Daddy?" Mist asked.

"Soon, I hope," Vapor replied. "I don't know if any of us will be able to live down here for much longer and I've only just arrived."

Glacier nosed Mist off Vapor's back. "Well, we'll just have to wait this storm out. We're doing the best we can with what we have right now."

"I know, but it doesn't help when you can't see the light of day until that tyrant if overthrown." Vapor's mermaid-tail twitched with irritation. "I can't help but wonder what Khrista's going through right now."

"I can tell you that."

The family of three looked up in surprise at the Gengar floating a few feet above them.

"And you are?" Mist asked warily.

"Gangrene." The Gengar floated down to sit next to one of the bowls of Pokemon food that had been set down nearby and popped one into her mouth. "Your Trainer is a bit busy with a friend of mine, so I decided to drop by and see what sort of fuss you guys have gotten into."

Vapor's ears perked up in interest. "What do you mean by that?"

"And aren't you supposed to be missing?" Glacier added.

Gangrene paused, the pellet of food still in her mouth. "Alak and I are living...elsewhere," she stated carefully.

"Where?" Vapor asked, eyes narrowing. When Gangrene avoided his gaze, the Water-Type demanded, "You and Alak have been living up there, haven't you? In the skyscraper?"

Mist and Glacier exchanged looks of shock and surprise, then looked back at Gangrene, who looked just as surprised as they were.

Vapor nodded. "I thought so. And, you've been hanging out with Khrista, as you have already stated."

Gangrene nodded, relaxing slightly. "There's no denying it."

"How is she doing?" Glacier asked. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Gangrene replied calmly. "Alak's working on something with her right now."

"How'd you get back down here if you're living up there?" Mist demanded.

"Teleportation, my dear Mist. How else?"

Realization came across Mist's face. "Oh."

Vapor chuckled at the look on his daughter's face. "Didn't we always tell you that Gangrene was an odd Pokemon? One that could learn moves that most Gengar could not?" He turned to look at the Ghost/Poison-Type. "Speaking of which, what are Alak and Khrista working on?"

Gangrene hesitated, then stated, "Our own idea of a rebellion."

The three Pokemon in front of the Gengar were instantly speechless.

"It's true," Gangrene continued. "Joshua helped Khrista escape from the clutches of Team Galactic, although she remains in the building. Alak and I have been hiding her from prying eyes while she goes around and puts the pieces of our plan together. We have to out it into motion when you attack the building, whenever that is."

Vapor and Glacier looked at each other, not quite sure whether they wanted to believe the Gengar or not. Gangrene took note of this.

"If you must know, we have figured out a way to free the children under Cyrus' control," the Pokemon stated. "That's the main staple of our plan."

Mist's eyes widened. "Really? How?"

Gangrene wagged a finger back and forth. "Now, now, that's my little secret. You'll just have to wait until we break everybody loose."

Mist's ears drooped. "Aw, come on! Please?"

"Nope."

"Let the Gengar have her fun, Mist," Glacier commented. "We'll figure it out, anyway."

"Have you seen any of our friends?" Vapor inquired, changing the subject. "The ones that didn't make it down here?"

Gangrene's grin faded. "Alak and I haven't been doing too much scouting around, but Khrista did find a few Trainers. Silver's one of them."

Vapor was surprised. "Silver? Trapped in there? He helped us escape from a party of Hunters some time ago...I wonder what happened..."

"Obviously, he got caught." Gangrene let out a sigh. "He's trapped in the same spell the others are, too, apparently."

"I find that hard to believe," Glacier retorted. "Don't you remember, when he and several others were trapped in stone? He knew what was going on the whole time!"

Vapor nodded. "True. Could it be the same for the others, as well? The other Trainers from that other world?"

"I should think so."

Gangrene frowned slightly. "It is possible, isn't it?" she murmured. Her eyes widened momentarily. "I've got to get going. Alak will want to know more of what's going on down here, and he and Khrista are most likely down by now." She rose into the air, gave the three Pokemon a quick wave, then vanished.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Khrista let out a sigh as she looked around at her dreamscape. Thanks to the events of the day, she was standing in what looked like a cave with an open skylight that showed the night sky, glittering with stars.

"This is nice, but I want something a little brighter," the teen murmured. An instant later, the cave became a grassy plain under a summer sun.

Khrista frowned, and shook her head. "Nah. This seems to be a bit too open."

The grassy plain became a small lake, surrounded by trees. A gentle breeze threw leaves around under the midday sun, fluffy clouds moving slowly across a deep blue sky. The place seemed almost peaceful.

Khrista smiled, somehow recognizing the place, even though she had never been there personally. "Perfect. Lake Verity was always a calming place for me."

_"That goes for me, too."_

Khrista's eyes widened upon hearing the voice. Turning her head slightly, she caught sight of the familiar pink, fairy-like Pokemon. "Mesprit?"

The Pokemon, which was floating in the air at the edge of the lake, smiled and nodded. _"Hello, Khrista. It's been a while since we last saw each other."_ A vision of Ash holding .khrista's body in Cyrus' office appeared on the lake's surface.

Khrista nodded. "That's right. You were released then, right?"

_"Correct."_ The Pokemon floated over to the teen. _"We can both thank Arctic for that. However, there are others who are so lucky."_

"You mean kids like Silver."

_"Yes, but also the Pokemon trapped here. Your Leafeon, for instance."_

Khrista's eyes widened. "Leaf is trapped there?"

_"Where you are, yes. They've been using her and other as nothing more than tools is experienced and Pokemon that their ruined Trainers use. Mist, however, are left in the care if Rocket members, who have begun to go soft."_

"Butch," Khrista realized. "I knew there was something odd about him."

Mesprit nodded. _"Despite this, they do have a forced loyalty to Cyrus, and will still do what he commands, although begrudgingly."_

"What happens if they to against his orders?"

The Psychic-Type shrugged. _"No one has tried, but I would guess that it either involves death or Cyrus' puppet. Just the mere thought scares a lot of them into submission."_

Khrista let out a low growl of annoyance. "Great. I'd been hoping they might be able to help. If they're being loyal in any way to the guy we want to get rid of, there's no way I can tell them any of this."

_"I doubt you would be able to."_

"No; not directly. Joshua's still running around in their presence; I could ask him to talk to them about it."

_"Ah. That explains why you're living with a Gengar and and Alakazam that actually get along."_

Khrista nodded, then frowned. "How did you know that? It's not common knowledge, is it?"

Mesprit shook her head. _"I came across the news some time ago. I...overheard Sabrina's Haunter and Joshua's Gallade conversing at dinner about it, and what Gangrene herself said to Vapor concerning you."_

"I knew that Gangrene had left for somewhere when Alak was giving me a lesson of my Psychic abilities," Khrista admitted. "How is everybody doing?"

_"Anxious. They probably want Cyrus gone as badly as you do."_

Khrista smiled. "I can certainly see that," she remarked. "What about Rayquaza? Have you seen him?"

_"He presently resides in Mt. Coronet, with the members of the Elite Fours. I doubt he would be able to fit in the underground tunnels."_

Khrista chuckled. "I guess not. Does he know where I am?"

_"I don't think he quite believes that you're still alive, but he's beginning to sway in that direction."_ Mesprit looked around the dream-lake with a sigh. _"I wish this place still existed."_

Khrista frowned. "What do you mean?"

_"Cyrus destroyed my home when he had his building created,"_ Mesprit explained, miserable. _"I won't regain my home until he's removed from the area."_

Khrista's eyes narrowed. "When we finally manage to get this thing started, Cyrus is going to want to put his head on a platter and send it to us so we can burn it," she growled.

Mesprit nodded. _"And you are more than prepared?"_

Khrista smiled. "Well, I've got a few problems with learning attacks yet, but I'm more than prepared to get at him and tear that tyrant to shreds!"

Mesprit laughed. _"I'll agree to that!"_ She glanced around quickly. _"Look, I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I gotta go. See you around sometime?"_

Khrista gave the Legendary a thumbs-up. "Make sure you have a front row seat when the action starts. I'm sure it's not something that you'll want to miss."

Mesprit nodded, then vanished in a vortex of light.

Khrista looked around the lake. "I wonder...what other places can I visit in my dreamscape?"


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Alak opened one eye, a psychic disturbance awakening him from the deeper areas of his mind. _"Who's there?"_ he asked, looking around at the dreamscape-version of the storeroom.

_"Just a friend,"_ came a response.

The Alakazam turned his head as the figure approached. _"I had not expected your arrival."_

_"I knew you wouldn't,"_ Uxie responded. _"That's why I came at this time."_

_"It's about the plan, isn't it?"_ Alak asked, eyeing the Legendary.

Uxie nodded. _"There's a chance that Cyrus knows of it, and is allowing us to continue planning ignorantly, only to ambush us. We will have to time this right, which is the main reason I came here to find you."_

Alak could see where the other Pokemon was going with this. _"And you're asking me because Khrista might give a time that would be too early,"_ he guessed.

_"Actually, I'm worried she will pick a day too late, because she is learning how to use her abilities. Teaching here about Psychic abilities is all well and good, but she is going to need to know about the other Types. Otherwise, she will be of no help."_

_"She seems pretty eager about it,"_ Mesprit remarked as she appeared beside Uxie. _"Khrista would probably attack tomorrow, were it not for her powers." _She looked around the storeroom. _"It also seems to me that she wants to get out more than she already has."_

_"What are you suggesting?" _Alak asked. _"That we take her outside of this building? If she's seen, we're as good as dead!"_

_"Not in the Underground," _Uxie pointed out. _"Take her down there tomorrow."_

Alak frowned. _"What will her team think, if they discover her genetic transformation?"_

_"They will be more than happy to assist her," _Mesprit replied. _"You should relax and take her out to see them. Things will turn out all right."_

The Alakazam hesitated momentarily, then nodded. _"Very we'll. once Khrista has done her rounds tomorrow morning, Gangrene and I will take her to the Underground."_

Uxie and Mesprit nodded in agreement, then teleported out.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Early the following morning, Khrista was awake before Alak and Gangrene. When the two Pokemon arrived back to the waking world, they found her swallowing the last few bites of breakfast, the bag of powder untouched.

"Morning," Khrista greeted cheerily. "Sleep well?"

Alak, a little surprised at Khrista's smile, considering what had occurred the last few days, replied cautiously. _"Morning, and I could have slept better."_

"Blame either Cyrus, or the cold, metal floor," Khrista replied. She gathered up the remains of her breakfast and placed the empty box next to the small pile that had begun to accumulate. "I'm gonna head out and have a quick look around, just to see if there's anyone out there I may have missed."

Gangrene frowned slightly. "That might not be such a good idea," she warned. Alak frowned, as well.

Confusion came across Khrista's face. "Why? What's up?" And then she heard it: footsteps, echoing in the metal floor.

_"We have to leave - now,"_ Alak stated, getting up from where he had slept.

Khrista's eyes widened. "Where?" Catching sight if a smirk on Gangrene's face, a smile appeared on her own. Pressing a finger to her left ear, she stated, "I'm leaving, so you probably won't hear from me for a while. Don't try to contact me."

::_Just make sure you come back in time for the rebellion:: _The connection was instantly cut.

Khrista nodded to the two Pokemon. At this signal, Gangrene gripped Khrista's right hand.

"Here we go," Gangrene stated. "You ready?" When Khrista had nodded again, Gangrene exclaimed, "Teleport!"

The psychic power began to circulate around the three of them. Just before they vanished from the storeroom, Khrista caught sight of a hidden door sliding open, and Galactic members rushing in. Then, just like that, the two Pokemon and Khrista were standing in what looked like a grassy plain...under a rocky ceiling.

Khrista looked around, a slight frown on her face out of bewilderment. Gangrene took note of this.

"Come on, you," the Gengar stated. "We're on the edge of the fields, so we won't run into anyone here." She took off into flight at a low altitude and flew off, Khrista and Alak in pursuit.

"They have fields down here?" Khrista asked Alak in confusion.

The Alakazam, who was floating along to the teen's right, explained, _"The Legendary Pokemon that live down here created this place for the sake of the Pokemon - both wild and trained - who managed to escape."_

The teen's eyes widened, her shirt changing from red to sky blue as she started to fly alongside the Psychic-Type. "Wow. Honestly, I never knew that Legendaries had so much power in them. Battling must only use a fraction of it..."

_"Indeed,"_ Alak agreed. _"And we trained by those of your world are capable of competing with that power. We are almost legends ourselves."_

The grassy plain started to charge, becoming a large forest peppered with lakes. Khrista could have sworn that saw a volcano in the distance. Pokemon beg to appear as well, swimming in the water, flying in and among the trees, and running through the brush mere feet below where Khrista was flying.

"When will we get to the humans?" Khrista asked after some time had passed. They had been seeing nothing but trees except for a break of large mud puddles, and the teen was beginning to become somewhat concerned.

_"They're not much further,"_ Alak promised. _"The trees stop up ahead, and then comes the meadow and the Exploration Base. After that, we shall reach the humans."_

Khrista's eyes widened. "Exploration Base? As in, Pokemon Exploration?"

_"I believe that is the term, yes."_

The two then cleared the trees, and found Gangrene waiting at the edge of the meadow.

"What took you so long?" she asked with a smirk. "Did you go on a tour?"

"No," Khrista replied sourly. "How much Carbos did Joshua give you, anyway?"

"Enough," the Gengar responded playfully. "Are you ready to find your team?"

Khrista nodded, a huge grin on her face. "You know it!" She landed on the cave floor, her shirt returning to its normal red color. "Which way?"

"This way!" Gangrene responded, running off for a collection of buildings.

Chapter 21


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" Sparkler asked his mate.

Raichu let out a sigh and nodded. "I'm worried about her."

"Aren't we all?" The male Raichu's tail curled around the other Pokemon. "Once this thing is over and done with, we'll be back with her. For now, let's just hope she's doing all right."

"Raichu! Sparkler!"

The two Electric-Types' heads turned toward the source of the voice, and they couldn't believe what they saw there.

"K-Khrista?" Raichu stammered, staring at the figure standing at the edge of the Fields with and Alakazam and a Gengar. She and Sparkler stood up from where they had been sitting under a lamppost in order to get a better look.

"It's can't be..." the male Raichu murmured. "Khrista?"

The figure took off and ran towards them, a look of delight on her face. The two Electric-Types were instantly entrapped in a large bear hug.

"Hey, guys," Khrista greeted quietly. "It's been a while."

"It's only been four days!" Gangrene retorted as she and Alak approached.

"You're going to act the same way when you reunite with Joshua," Khrista retorted, releasing the two Electric-Types.

"I highly doubt we're going to hug him."

Raichu looked at Khrista in surprise. "When did you get here?"

"Not too long ago," the Trainer replied. "Galactics found our hiding place, so we had to Teleport out. Or, at least, Gangrene and Alak had to Teleport me out."

"So that's where you've been hiding!" Sparkler exclaimed. "Keeping an eye on Joshua?"

Gangrene stuck her tongue out playfully in reply.

Raichu grinned up at Khrista. "I can't wait! Let's go tell the others now!"

Khrista's eyes sparkled. "Where are they?" she asked. Her head turned towards the buildings as she looked around for her Pokemon.

"They've been training all over the place," Sparkler responded. "Both here and Mt. Coronet."

"Oh, yeah, the Elite Four HQ! I can certainly see that. Who's over here?"

"Vapor, Swamp, and Linoone," Raichu responded. "They've been spending time with their families and helping out instead of training."

"Or, at least, training extensively," Sparkler added. "The human refugees set up a couple Battle Sites for the Trainers and Pokemon, as well as a couple buildings the Gym Leaders use to battle challengers." He tilted his head slightly. "In fact, I think Swamp's at one of the Sites now, doing a Double Battle with Raze."

_"Against whom?"_ Alak inquired.

"I think they wanted to settle a score," Raichu recalled. "Something about proving something to Cedar and his buddy Blaze."

Khrista's eyes widened. "Two of Joshua's Starters?"

Sparkler nodded. "Ever since you guys fought, they've picked up on the rivalry and kept with it." He started into the "town." "Come on - we might be able to catch them in the act if we hurry."

Khrista grinned. "I'm not gonna pass that up!" She trotted after the male Raichu, the other three Pokemon in pursuit.

"So, when'd you guys get down here?" Khrista asked Raichu.

"The day after you got here," Raichu replied. "Before that, Entei and the others let us live on their mountains. We didn't have anywhere else to go before then."

"It was nice of them to let you in," Khrista remarked. "Were there others up there?"

"There used to be, before Cyrus went hunting."

The group soon reached the Battle Sites Sparkler had mentioned, which was on the other side of the human encampment. There, the Starter battle had taken up a large amount of the area, which was now covered in the remains of Muddy Water.

"Looks like Swamp's been busy," Khrista noted, wading through the water. She looked over to where the four Pokemon were standing on one of the last few dry spots, glaring at each other murderously.

Raze, who looked like he was covered in cuts from previous attacks, moved quickly, zeroing in on Cedar with a Fire Punch. The Sceptile, who seemed to be covered in burns, leaned back as he jumped, expecting the Blazikan to shoot for his head or legs. However, Raze clasped his hands together over his head and slammed down on Cedar, forcing the Grass-Type into the dirt. Swamp followed with an attack quickly, throwing a sphere of water at Blaze, who sidestepped, only for the attack to get him from behind.

"Hydro Cannon?" Khrista guessed.

Raichu nodded. "He's used it enough that he's capable of directing it in whatever direction he wants it to go. I can do the same with Thunder."

"It's the closest we can get to Legendary abilities," Sparkler added. "All thanks to you."

"Me?" Khrista repeated, surprised.

_"It's like I was telling you before,"_ Alak stated. _"The Pokemon that work with the Trainers of other worlds are capable of things that most Pokemon are not. The directing of moves in certain directions - especially concerning more powerful moves."_

Cedar slashed out at Raze with a Leaf Blade, barely missing and getting kicked in the chest with a Blaze Kick. Blaze then charged at Raze, and the two fell to the ground and began wrestling. Cedar then ran at Swamp, another Leaf Blade at the ready, only for Swamp to push him back with a Hammer Arm.

Khrista started wading again. "How long have they been going after each other?"

"Not all that long - an hour and a half at most, I should think," Sparkler remarked.

Khrista's pace picked up speed. "This is going to end with someone possibly dying if they keep this up. It looks like Raze and Blaze are using Struggle." Raising her voice, she called out, "Guys! Cut it out!"

Cesar's and Swamp's heads turned sharply, the Water/Ground-Type's fist over the Grass-Type's head. Raze, who was pinned down by Blaze, looked over, as well, causing the Blaziken on top of him to glance in that direction.

"If you guys want to kill each other off, do it when we don't have to worry about that guy up there!" Khrista exclaimed, pointing upward. "We still need you guys around here!"

Swamp blinked, a blank look on his face, as if he didn't fully comprehend what the teen had said. He back away slowly from Cedar, allowing the Grass-Type to get up, as Blaze allowed Raze to do the same.

Raichu clambered up onto Khrista's right shoulder, leaving wet footprints on the Trainer's back. Grinning at Swamp, she teased, "Don't just stand there gaping like a Magikarp! Get over here and say hi to our Trainer!"

Raichu's words seemed to do the trick, because Raze and Swamp dashed at her, the Fire-Type getting there first, tackling his Trainer. Swamp followed, and all of them were thrown by the Swampert's momentum into the water.

"Khrista!" Raze roared, bursting into laughter. "Where have you been hiding?"

"With Alak and Gangrene," the teen responded. "Joshua helped me escape from prying eyes, but he had to stay behind." Khrista motioned to the Alakazam and Gengar. "These two were hiding up there, so they took me in - even if it was only for a short time. When Galactic found out, we came down here."

"So that was why we never saw you together!" Blaze remarked as he came over with Cedar.

"Why didn't you come down sooner?" Swamp asked as he and Raze assisted their Trainer in getting up.

"Joshua and I were hoping to wait until after for the reunion," Khrista explained. "Besides, I had some other things to take care of, first."

"Like what?" Sparkler asked.

Khrista smirked. "You know how a certain Trainer is under the control of you-know-who?" When the other Pokemon nodded, she stated, "It turns out that it gave him some weird liberties. For instance, he can break free of the Red Chain's control for a short time. I think it's connected to whenever someone says his name. Also, he's capable of traveling around in the dreamscape, which is why Darkrai couldn't infect Cyrus with nightmare originally - Ash kept getting in the way."

The Pokemon exchanged glances, not quite sure of what they were hearing.

"Silver's under their control, too," Khrista added in passing. "As are Rick, Lucas, Alia, Kira, Max, and Collin. Maya and Tina, Joshua's sisters, are trapped there, too, but they've been turned into an Eevee and a Chikorita, respectively, and Josh managed to release them from Cyrus' control by saying their names."

This got the Pokemon's attention.

"Names release them?" Cedar wondered. "That's an interesting concept." He looked over at Blaze. "We'll have to keep an eye out for the Trainers Joshua may have run into in the past." The Blaziken nodded in agreement.

"Have you had a look around town?" Raze asked Khrista. When the teen shook her head, the Fire/Fighting-Type smirked. "Come on, then! Let's get you cleaned up, and then we can get started." He eyed Swamp. "The only move you have left is Hammer Arm, so that's not gonna be of any help. Let's go find Vapor." Raze looked at Raichu. "Any idea where he is?"

"He should be with Glacier and Mist," Raichu replied. "I think they were planning on going with Misty on a quick trip to Mt. Coronet." She motioned for the Pokemon to follow her. "If we hurry, we can catch them."

"If it's all right with you, I think Alak and I'll go back to our old nesting site," Gangrene stated coolly. She started to walk away, but Cedar grabbed her.

"Oh, no ya don't," the Sceptile warned. "We're going straight to the Professors. They deserve to know what happened to make you guys come back down here." He ran off, still holding on tightly. Alak gave the others a shrug, then followed.

"So, which way?" Khrista asked Raichu.

Raichu pointed in what might have been a north-west direction. "Come on!" She took off running, the others in pursuit.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Joshua let out a sigh as he looked around at his repaired quarters for the umpteenth time. He knew without pushing the wall that it had been reinforced with some sort of alloy that his home world couldn't even hope to create. He also knew that .khrista was going to be out of the building for some time, much longer than a day or two. This mean t that Saturn was going to be sent out on a wild goose chase, completely failing to find Joshua's younger cousin.

The teen turned his head as the steel door opened, and Cassidy threw Maya and Tina into the room. Both of them looked like they had been attacked with a flamethrower.

Joshua watched Cassidy's face as she started to close the door. The look of nervousness and hesitation had intensified, and the form of a frown had begun to appear, as well. The teen didn't know whether or not Khrista had done something by escaping, but he knew that things were being shaken up incredibly by recent events. It wouldn't mt be long before the reluctant members of Cyrus' empire would begin to speak out.

Once the door was closed, Joshua moved over to where his sisters lay and examined them swiftly. The burns would heal quickly, being only superficial, but it was obvious that the Eevee and the Chikorita had been pushed to their limits. Rest was their first order of business.

"What did they make you do today?" Joshua asked Maya as he moved her to one of the lower bunks.

"Training," the Eevee murmured in reply.

"They've been trying to get us to our next evolution forms," Tina added, trying to get up on her feet. She stumbled a couple steps forward and fell, her older brother catching her gently. "Each attempt to put us up against a Pokemon to give us massive experience failed miserably."

"Today, it looks like you had to go against a Fire-Type," Joshua noted as he lay Tina on the other vacant lower bunk.

Maya shook her head weakly. "It was a Simipour with a Scalding problem. We got it to learn other moves, keeping it from burning us to death, but evolving's a no-go. Sis even got up to Level 40, and she didn't get to Bayleaf form."

"You're not an Espeon to an Umbreon yet, either," Tina pointed out. "And they're exposed you to everything."

"Everything?" Joshua repeated.

"The Stones, the Ribbons, even some sort of weird drink they made me swallow," Maya listed. Her face contorted into a look of disgust. "I can still taste the burnt leaves."

"They haven't made me drink anything yet, but they're probably going to." Tina add. "So, what's she up to?"

Joshua leaned against the back bedpost of Tina's bed, knowing exactly who the Chikorita was referring to. "She had to go somewhere else." The teen pointed at the floor. "And we're not going to hear from her for a while." As a look of excitement crossed the two Pokemon's faces, he added, "You two should get some sleep, before they come back in and drag you out for another round."

The two sisters glowered, wanting to talk more, but knowing that he was right, they crawled under the covers, wincing a little as the fabric rubbed their burns, then fell asleep. Not too long afterward, the steel door creaked open quietly, revealing Butch.

Joshua looked him over. Butch, unlike Cassidy, didn't look nervous, but he did have a rather pained look, emotions vivid on his face. Among them, Joshua caught sight of quick flashes of eagerness, an emotion that seemed almost nonexistent among Cyrus' forces.

Butch stepped into the cell and partially closed the door behind him; Joshua could tell the ex-Rocket member had locked himself in one before. Reaching into one of the pockets of the black uniform, he removed a minimized PokeBall and held it out to Joshua.

Joshua looked at Butch curiously, not moving to take thePokeBall. "Why are you giving me that? Did Cyrus order you to distribute them?"

"Call it...intuition," Birch responded. He pressed the PokeBall into the teen's hand. "I would've given one to your friend, too, but she's not here." He looked about quickly, then added quietly, "Cyrus has been acting weird lately." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his left hand moved up to cover his mouth, but stopped before it got there and fell back to his side.

Joshua looked mildly interested. "I don't suppose you have any idea why?"

"There's a rumor going around that there's a Darkrai following him everywhere." Butch gripped his left hand with his right to keep it from going up to his face as he continued, "He's getting more and more emotionally imbalanced."

"How long has this been going on, do you think?"

Butch glanced about again, then whispered, "Since the day his machine broke." At this point, his left hand overpowered his right and slapped over his mouth. If Tina and Maya had been watching, they would have burst out into giggles, rolling around on their beds as they tried to contain their laughter.

Butch forced his hand back and added, "He thinks your friend sent the Dark-Type to torture him when Ash isn't." There was another slap as his mouth was covered.

Joshua examined the PokeBall as Butch struggled to force his hand away from his face. "I suggest you be careful of what you say from now on," he stated. "If Cyrus' emotions are getting the better of him, you don't want to have the short end of the stick." He pocketed the spherical capture device, then turned his attention to the ex-Rocket member. "Why did you come, anyway?"

"Sentry duty," Butch responded, his left hand dropping to his side again. "The cameras are going offline all over the place." He grinned nervously. "Cassidy and I're going to be switching off." With that, he slipped out the door and disappeared.

Once the door was shut and locked, Joshua brought out the PokeBall, brining it up to full size so that he could look into it and identify the Pokemon it contained. As if by some sort of mental command, the red half of the sphere became transparent, revealing its contents. The teen, smiling after seeing its contents, minimized the PokeBall, the red becoming opaque once again as he pocketed the object.

As the midmorning alarm sounded, Joshua smirked as he muttered, "Everything's coming together."


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

To say that Cyrus was emotionally imbalanced was a technical understatement. Butch might have said the man was almost psychopathic, if his own body would have let him. It was as though the man was out to kill everyone in the building who would have set him off, which was everyone. And to top it all off, Khrista's escape had placed everyone on their toes, including Charon, who was thought to receive the most horrible of punishments by the general community.

At this particular moment, this man was pacing in his office, drinking strong coffee in order to not fall into the clutches of another one of Darkrai's nightmares. He was presently alone, a report from earlier in the morning lying scattered on his desk, containing the information concerning the failed attempt to capture the teen, who had somehow managed to escape from her cell without too much trouble. The Galactic leader had just issued the order that the leader of the Galactic squad be placed on clean-up duty for the scientists, whose experiments were becoming much more brutal. It was a wonder that none of the Pokemon had died yet. But then again, these were the ones that had been used by the other-wordless...

Cyrus' eyes moved to the warp panel as Charon stepped off it. The old man was visibly nervous, and looked like he would rather lock himself in his assigned room rather than face him.

"You called for me?" the scientist asked.

Cyrus placed the white coffee mug on his desk. "I want you to so something for me."

"Ask, and it shall be done," Charon replied, using one of the more common phrases the mindless men used.

"I want a Pokemon that can allow me to sleep. No dreams or nightmares."

Charon became slightly puzzled. "We could get a Pokemon that knows Hypnosis - a Drowzee or a Hypno, perhaps -"

"Those aren't the Pokemon I'm referring to." Cyrus eyed Charon with a glare. "I want you to find Cresselia."

Charon nodded. "I'll send a squad out, see if they can find one. Would you like the boy to -"

"No. Have him do it when you bring the Pokemon to me."

Charon nodded again, then turned and started to step back onto the warp panel.

"One more thing."

The scientist paused, one foot hovering over the panel.

"I want that boy watched at all times. Put a guard in his cell if you have to. I don't want him getting any ideas."

Charon smiled ruefully. "Of course, sir." He stepped onto the warp panel and vanished.

Cyrus turned his attention to his office window as he picked up his coffee, watching as lightning raced across the lower levels of the thunderclouds.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Come on! Mt. Coronet's up ahead!" The Dugtrio looked back at the group it was guiding through the tunnel.

"How far ahead?" Khrista asked as she and the others kept pace with the Ground-Type's speed. The teen, now clean of mud, was eager to get to the Elite Four HQ.

"Not far," the Pokemon responded. "We'll be reaching the split in the path soon enough. I fact, there it is!"

The Dugtrio and Khrista screeched to a halt, Misty, Vapor, Glacier, and Mist almost bumping into them from behind as they neared the intersection.

Misty looked around the cave-like area. "Which way now?" She looked down at the Pokemon in front of her and the rest of the group.

"The tunnel to the right," the Dugtrio responded, doing its best not to look at the swimsuit the Gym Leader usually wore under a long coat. It knew what kind of Trainer Misty was, and didn't want to get on her nerves for fear of being fainted by an attack from one if her Pokemon. "You'll find the Elite Four training down that way. The other tunnel leads up to an opening on Mt. Coronet's surface."

Khrista nodded. "Got it. Have you seen a Rayquaza in the area?"

The Dugtrio looked up at the teen. "No; sorry. Perhaps you'll find him with the others."

Misty motioned for the group to follow her. "We can go the rest of the way without the Dugtrio. Come on, Khrista." She took off for the tunnel the Ground-Type had pointed out earlier, Khrista, Mist, Vapor, and Glacier in pursuit.

"So, you're Joshua's sister, right?" Misty guessed.

"Cousin," Khrista corrected. "He does have two younger sisters, though. You remember Tina, right?"

"You don't mean that girl who rode that Meganium everywhere?" Misty smirked. "I should've guessed that those two were related."

"Yeah, well, it might be harder to tell, now. Tina got turned into a Chikorita. Maya, the other sister, was turned into an Eevee, too."

"The Eeveelution Pokemon Trainer?" Vapor recalled.

Khrista nodded in confirmation. "Yup. You remember, right, Glacier?"

"Like I'm gonna forget the one with the crazy Jolteon!"

"I thought that you said it was her Umbreon that was crazy," Mist remarked.

Khrista looked humored. "All of you got a little crazy in battle," she pointed out.

Vapor smirked. "Not as crazy as you."

The teen became annoyed and was about to issue a retort when she saw something in the distance. The others, noticing her change in focus, looked ahead of them, as well. The group was now nearing the end of the tunnel, which had much brighter light, and echoed with the sounds of training. They quickly cleared the tunnel, reaching a new cavern.

The cave itself was large in both length and height, with two large crystals releasing light from the cave ceiling. On the cave floor, Pokemon and humans are split into multiple groups, training with their own techniques.

Khrista's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Wow. This place looks like a great place to train!"

"You got that right!" Mist agreed. She looked ready to charge into one of the groups and start battling, but Glacier blocked her path.

"Oh no, you don't," the Glaceon warned. "We came here to help Misty, remember?"

"Aw, come on, Mom! I'm not even a Water-Type!"

"No buts!"

The Eevee's ears drooped, signaling her submission. "Fine."

Vapor and Khrista exchanged glances, then nodded.

"I don't suppose that it wouldn't hurt if Mist went around with Khrista for a little while," the Vaporeon ventured. "She can't really learn any water or Ice-Type moves at this point - not counting the ones she already knows, at least."

Mist's ears went back up, and she looked expectantly at her parents.

Glacier frowned momentarily, then sighed and nodded. "Very well."

Her Eevee daughter jumped around with excitement.

"But, you have to stay with Khrista at all times and never let yourself get out of her sight. Understood?"

Mist nodded, stopping her prancing. "Yup!" She bounded over to Khrista, who knelt down in order to let the Eevee an easy way up into the teen's right shoulder.

"Let's go find Dad's friends!" Mist suggested. "Flare and Jolt are helping out here with a few inexperienced Trainers and their Pokemon." Mist looked around for a moment, then pointed toward a crowd of Fire and Electric-Types, with Trainers, as well as Volkner and Flint, in the center of the group, with Chili and Elesa talking about taking care of the Pokemon when not in battle.

Khrista grinned at Vapor. "I'll meet up with you guys later."

"Make sure that you don't get into too much trouble," the Vaporeon warned. "Everybody thinks you're still back there."

"Then this is going to be a surprise," Mist responded. "Let's go and say hi before we miss out on the chance."

Khrista nodded. Giving a quick wave to Misty, she walked over toward the group of Fire and Electric-Types, watching the Unova and Sinnoh Trainers with the hope of being seen.

Flint's Magmortar, who was standing directly behind the Elite Four member, caught sight of the teen with the Eevee. With one arm, the Pokemon nudged Flint on the shoulder, pointing to Khrista with the other. Flint reacted quickly, looking back at the Pokemon, then over to where the Fire-Type was pointing, surprise appearing on his face.

Upon being seen, Khrista approached the group of Pokemon, which separated a little in order to let her by, allowing her into the small group of Trainers in the center of the crowd.

"Hi Flint, Volkner," Khrista greeted with a smirk. "Long time, no see."

The two men blinked in bewilderment, looked at each other, then back at Khrista, while the Trainers around her gawked in shock. Two Pokemon - a Flareon and a Jolteon - made their way through the group towards her.

The teen knelt down to their level. "Hey, Jolt, Flare. How are you two doing?"

Mist grinned at the two Eeveelutions. "Can you guess who this is, Uncles?"

"We don't have to guess," Jolt responded, looking at the Eevee. Turning his glance to the teen, he stated, "It's been a long time, Khrista."

The Trainers around the let out gasps, then started to whisper with excitement.

Khrista smiled. "Yeah, it kinda has been. Last time I saw you, we were training -"

"- an Ampheros during one of Faulkner's periodical rematches. Yes, I remember." Jolt shook his head in amusement. "That team of Pikachu, too, were quite a sight to see."

"You have more than one Pikachu?" a Trainer in the garb of a Youngster asked.

Khrista looked over in his direction and nodded. "Most of them came from a place called Yellow Forest, and then there was one who had been old friends with my two Raichu. He was the head pack, then came Volt and Bolt, siblings who knew the moves Surf and Fly, which are rare among Pikachu. The rest of them knew Volt Tackle, among other things."

Flare eyed his Trainer. "So where have you been hiding? Vapor said you were trapped in the skyscraper that's been built up top."

"I was," Khrista confirmed. "Joshua helped me get out of sight, and Alak and Gangrene helped me get down here."

"Why didn't they rescue Joshua?" another Trainer asked. This one looked like a young Scientist, most likely a recent Trainer under Blaine.

Khrista frowned slightly. "Honestly, I have no idea. They knew he was in the building, but didn't end up going after him. It could have been that my cousin is planning something."

_"He is."_

Khrista's head shot up as Azelf approached from above. "How? It's not like he's free of constant surveillance."

_"I talked with him last night, much like Mesprit did with you,"_ the Lake Spirit explained. _"He has events set up like dominos ready to fall at a moment's notice."_

Flint smiled. "Makes sense. That kid is the scheming type. What's going to kick-start it?"

_"Joshua didn't say, but it does involve our plans for overthrowing Cyrus."_ Azelf grinned. _"He said it was going to get kick started soon, too."_

Khrista nodded in approval. "Good. That'll give me some motivation."

Volkner frowned. "For what?"

Khrista smiled sheepishly, standing back up. "See, when I was still in that building, I discovered these...abilities, I guess you could call them. Alak helped me start to get a hold of properly controlling them, but I'm going to need more teachers in order to get my abilities fully under control."

Flare cocked his head. "What kind of abilities are we talking about, here?"

Khrista let out a sigh. "You probably aren't going to believe this, but I have access to Pokemon Types." Her shirt changed to sky blue and she floated upward, flew around the group in a lazy circle, then landed where she had been standing.

Mist stared at Khrista in shock from her perch. "You can fly?!"

Azelf flew down to a position directly in front of Khrista. _"Not just. She has access to all Pokemon Types. Right before I left that building for good, I did something to Cyrus' little machine, something Uxie had been planning with what little free will he had left in that mind of his. Not only did I break it, I also made it so that a little Pokemon DNA would get into Khrista's systems. Consider it a bonus for being the last one summoned here from your worlds."_

All the Trainers and Pokemon present stared at Azelf and Khrista, the latter also surprised about the Legendary's statement.

_"Khrista is going to need a lot of training in a short amount of time," _Azelf continued, _"preferably from Pokemon she knows."_

Flint saw where the Legendary was going. He looked down at Flare and said, "You heard him. You gotta go train your fiery Trainer."

The Flareon looked a little confused, but realization hit him rather quickly. Jolt got the same look, as well.

"We gotta go find the others," the Jolteon stated. "You go round up our cousins; I'll see about getting the rest. Mewtwo's going to want to see this, too."

Flare nodded. "Right." He turned and sped off for a group of Pokemon that looked like a combination of Psychic/Dark-Types. Jolt dashed away soon after, going for a collection of Grass-Types, leaving Khrista with Mist, Azelf, and the group Flint and Volkner had been lecturing.

"We should probably find a spot that I won't be stared at," Khrista remarked to Azelf.

The Lake Spirit nodded. Turning to Volkner and Flint, he stated, _"Sorry to have disturbed your class."_

Flint chuckled. "Well, it's certainly a change of pace. Good luck with your little project."

Khrista smiled back. "Thanks."

As Azelf, Mist, and Khrista left for the group, Flint instructed, "Okay, guys! Let's split up into groups and start a couple Double Battles! Your numbers can be anywhere between two and four, depending on how many Pokemon you have on you. Go!"


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

_"It looks like this is the only one that hasn't been crowded wall-to-wall with Trainers,"_ Azelf noted.

The Legendary, Khrista, and Mist were standing in an empty cave with a skylight, which revealed the thunderclouds outside, streaked with lightning. There were Pokemon standing along with them, including Flare, Jolt, an Espeon, an Umbreon, Glacier, Vapor, a Roserade, a Lucario, a Sandslash, a Golem, a Machamp, a female Unfezant, a Beautifly, a Muk, a Delcatty, an Altaria, a Magnezone, and a Mismagius.

"Where's Mewtwo?" Mist asked, looking around.

"He said he'd come as soon as he could," Flare responded. The Pokemon had managed to converse with the Psychic-Type in a corner of the main cavern, where the Legendary had been meditating with Uxie nearby. Mewtwo had instantly left for a different part of the cavern, promising to meet up with the others later.

"Do you think he'd mind if we started without him?" Mach asked. The Machamp had never truly felt comfortable around the Legendary, seeing as he was a Fighting-Type and Mew's cone was a Psychic-Type.

_"Yes, I would,"_ Mewtwo responded as he entered the cavern. Mew flew in after him, making a beeline for the only human in the cavern.

_"Khrista!"_ she exclaimed, tackling her.

Khrista stumbled back a few steps, a huge grin on her face as Mew hugged her. "Hey, Mew! How've things been going?"

_"Pretty good, considering how events have played themselves out the past few days," _the Psychic-Type admitted. _"Did you tell Swamp you were here?"_

"I saw him, Raze, Raichu, and Sparkler first thing," Khrista responded. "Hey, have you seen Rayquaza around? Raichu said he might be around here." Mentally, she added, _Well, it was actually Mesprit who told me, but we don't really need to get into that right now._

"He usually spends his time with Drake," the Altaria stated. "No one really knows why."

"We can probably hunt him down later," the Umbreon added. "What was it you wanted to work on with us?"

Khrista smiled sheepishly. "I guess you could say that we're going to train, but I'm not training you this time. You're training me."

Sandslash frowned. "Champ Trainer say what?"

"It's true," Khrista confirmed. Her shirt became sky blue once again, allowing her to demonstrate by flying around the group. "This is what I need your help with," she stated as she landed, her shirt becoming its normal red hue. "I want to gain control over my abilities before we get the go-ahead to bombard and invade Galactic Boy's lair."

Unfezant made a _tsk_ noise with her beak. "Well, you certainly won't get anywhere flying around like that."

"Exactly why I asked you guys for help," Khrista responded. "Now, to figure out who's going to go first..."

"I will!" all the Pokemon exclaimed. They glared at each other and instantly began arguing verbally over who would be the first to train the Trainer.

_"Hey!"_ Rayquaza peered into the cavern. _"Keep it down, will ya? Drake's Druddigon has a splitting headache and doesn't want to be disturbed."_

The other Pokemon separated from their scuffles quickly. "Sorry, Rayquaza," they chorused.

Rayquaza flew into the cavern carefully; no doubt he had experienced a crash in the tunnels before. _"What are you doing in here, anyway? Weren't you guys hoping to train with the Elite Fours?"_

"Something else came up," Beautifly piped up.

_"What?"_

Khrista cleared her throat, catching the Dragon/Flying-Type's attention. When the Legendary's head turned in her direction, she smiled weakly and waved. "Hey, Rayquaza. It's been a while."

Rayquaza stared blankly at the teen. _"What are you doing here? Everybody said you were trapped in the skyscraper."_ He sounded bitter.

"I was," Khrista confirmed. "It's just that Alak and Gangrene brought me over here before Team Galactic nabbed us from our hiding place. Also, I called these Pokemon together to help me with some training."

"Khrista's part Pokemon!" Mist blurted. When all the Pokemon, as well as Khrista, stared at her, the Eevee asked, "What? Haven't you guys sensed it already? Khrista feels like she's some sort of Mulit-Type Legendary!"

Khrista frowned. "That kinda sound a bit too far out there, Mist."

_"No,"_ Mew murmured, _"I think she's actually right."_ She floated around Khrista, inspecting her from about an arm's-length away. _"Caleb, what do you think?"_

The Lucario closed his eyes, his Aura-seeing ability activating. Almost instantly, the Fighting/Steel-Type stumbled back in surprise, eyes wide with shock. "Her aura is that of a Legendary the size of Rayquaza!"

Khrista looked shocked, as well. "That's impossible, though. How is it that I've got Pokemon DNA, when I was human before?"

_"I think I can explain,"_ Azelf stated. _"When children came here from other worlds, some appeared in Pokemon form, while others remained human. Both species went through that machine, most likely leaving behind DNA in its systems. As a result, later arrivals obtained abilities they would have not had otherwise. I messed with it to make sure that you got what was left over."_

_"But why her?"_ Mewtwo inquired. _"Why not one of her cousins, or someone else entirely?"_

_"Because Cyrus got her last,"_ Azelf responded. _"If it had been anyone else, we would have done the same. Khrista simply arrived at the right point in time."_ He cocked his head slightly. _"My siblings are preparing to meet with the professors; I must be going."_ With that, the Legendary disappeared.

Khrista let out a sigh. "Looks like that's the last we're going to see of him for a while." She looked the group over. "Let's try to settle this thing before Drake's Druddigon himself comes around." She eyes Flare, Vapor, and the Roserade. "Something that all Trainers start out with..."

The three Pokemon caught sight of her gaze, and straightened themselves into more regal, elegant positions in an attempt to catch her attention, causing Mist to try and hold back a fit of giggles about her father. Khrista took note of this and smiled quietly.

"I've only used Fire abilities once so far," she remarked. "What do you say, Flare? Shall we give it a go?"

Flare grinned. "I don't see why not." He walked over to Khrista as the other Pokemon formed a wide circle around them.

Khrista looked over at Mewtwo and Mew, then at Rayquaza. "How about you guys stick around and watch for a little while?"

_"I certainly don't have anything else to do,"_ Mew remarked. She joined the circle, as did Mewtwo. Rayquaza, however, was a little more reluctant. The Hoenn dragon started to back up slowly in a retreating manner, instead.

"Come on, Rayquaza," Khrista called out. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime event! I wouldn't mind if you watched." She frowned slightly. "If it's because of what had happened before you're doing this, I bear no grudges against you."

Rayquaza stopped moving. _"You don't?"_

"Of course not! I knew you were in a Confused state at the time, so there's no way you would've truly known what you were doing."

Rayquaza stared at his Trainer. For a fleeting moment, Khrista thought she saw tears in his eyes, but they were gone as quick as they had come into her line of sight. _"I want to be the one to teach you Draco Meteor,"_ he stated, a smile starting to come across his face.

"Of course," Khrista confirmed. She turned her gaze to Flare as the Dragon/Flying-Type joined their group. "Let's get started, shall we?"


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

_"Sorry I'm late!"_ Azelf called as he materialized in the designated meeting place, startling the group that was there.

"It's fine," Oak responded. "However, I have to wonder what kept you until 11:30 to get here."

_"Just helping a newcomer settle in,"_ the Legendary responded carelessly.

Uxie and Mesprit exchanged glances from where they floated over Professor Rowan.

_"So, what did I miss?"_ Azelf inquired, floating over to the other members of the Lake Trio.

"We were discussing strategy," Rowan responded. "Lance has been kind enough to tell us of the weaponry on the roof of Cyrus' location." He nodded to Professor Elm, who had a laptop in front of him.

"Lance said that the amount of weaponry on the roof leaves little to no openings for attack," the Jhoto professor explained. "They don't seem to have anyone operating them from up there, so it's possible that they're run on computer systems. If they're not, there's a likely chance that there's a room somewhere in the building that contains the controls needed to operate them."

"Meaning we'll have to rely on Khrista to take 'em out," Birch remarked.

Uxie eyed Axelf, who looked like he was holding in a nervous chuckle; an odd predicament for the Being of Willpower.

"_Who was that newcomer, Azelf?"_ the Being of Knowledge inquired.

Azelf grinned nervously. _"It was Khrista. Her Pokemon are training with her at the moment in Mt. Coronet."_

"So we heard," Juniper remarked. "Cedar dragged Gangrene over here not too long ago and had her tell us about their situation. Including Khrista's newfound abilities." She looked at the Lake Spirits. "However, Joshua is still back there, and we will need to send Khrista back in order to make this work."

Uxie nodded in agreement. _"Her abilities are key in this plan,"_ he satiated. _"Once she has gained control of them, we'll send her back and jump-start this whole ordeal."_ He looked over at Professor Birch. _"However, we must first get a plan together."_ With a wave of his hand, a hologram of the skyscraper appeared on the table the Professors were sitting around. _"Obviously, we are capable of attacking anywhere on the skyscraper's surface."_

"But we still have to be cautious of those weapons," Oak added.

_"Indeed,"_ Mesprit agreed. _"However, there is another way we can attack, though it will be tricky. By digging upward, we can reach the lower storage facilities of Cyrus' little home."_

_"He leaves Plasma grunts down there,"_ Azelf added. _"They're the lowest of the low, in his opinion."_

"I'm sure Cheren would agree," Juniper remarked. "But we won't be able to fit everyone through a hole in his basement. I find it likely that our Trainers will be outnumbered."

"There are the numbers of the Pokemon population to consider, as well," Oak continued. "If anything, they'll be outnumbered when compared to the multitudes we have down here. And then, there are the children that can be rescued through our efforts."

Birch, who had been lost in thought for most of the conversation, suggested, "We need, at least, a two-way front." He pointed at Uxie's hologram in certain places as he continued, "Those with Flying Pokemon can attack from above and attract the attention of whatever defensive weapons this guy has. Everybody else can invade from down here and work our way up, that way, his followers' attention will be divided." After a moment, he added, "Khrista will be of great help, as well, if we get her back inside the way she came out, and then join forces with Joshua and start something that could cause major chaos."

_"I believe she was planning on doing that before she came down here,"_ Mesprit murmured. _"She'll be more than happy to assist us in our endeavors against the man who brought her here in the first place."_

Azelf nodded. _"Her excitement and eagerness to do so were so overpowering, it was a relief to get away as soon as I had the excuse!" _Looking around the table, he added, _"Plus, as my siblings and I had predicted would occur, Khrista has become part-Pokemon herself, with power on par with a Legendary the size of a Rayquaza."_

Oak's eyes widened. "Power on par with..." He trained off, shaking his head. "That's impossible."

"Says the man who made categorizing Pokemon the opposite," Birch remarked playfully. "Honestly, this sounds pretty believable, considering what else we've seen around here recently." He looked over at Azelf. "Have you seen her in action yet?"

Azelf shook his head. _"We will soon enough, if this works. When do you purpose a battle plan will actually be ironed out? I'm more than eager to start looking into that."_

Rowan and Birch exchanged glances.

"I already have something in mind," Rowan answered.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Joshua watched from his bunk as the steel door opened. With nothing to do other than sleep and eat. It was normal for him to take a nap at about noon, then go out for a quick run in the fitness center, where Charon made sure he never went anywhere close to any Pokemon whatsoever. Not until Butch had given him that PokeBall, at least.

Joshua caught sight of Charon's head as the old man peered into the cell. Quickly, he leapt to the floor with about as little noise as he could, so as to not awaken his still-slumbering sisters. "Looking for me?"

Charon jumped a little at this, but recovered quickly. "You're coming with me." He opened he door a little wider, revealing the black box they forced him to travel around in.

Joshua shrugged. "You know that I can walk around without needing that thing," he remarked. "You really don't need to cart it around."

Charon frowned, then pointed at to the black box as Butch opened a hidden door on one of the sides. Joshua rolled his eyes in return, but complied, squeezing himself into the small space, Butch shutting the door behind him, leaving the teen in a tangible darkness.

As the box began to move on well-oiled wheels, Joshua started to think. If Charon had been able to sense this, he would have reversed the cart's direction and sent him back to his cell. This had occurred other times, when a Grumpig or a Hypno had been brought along by the old scientist. However, Cyrus had sent all the Psychic-Types to some sort of secret storeroom, and they hadn't been heard from since.

Joshua's thoughts drifted to that of Khrista's location. He had been aware of Gangrene and Alak's original choice of stay, before that had left the refugees Khrista had mentioned in passing. The idea of staying in a storeroom wasn't unheard of - a few Pokemon, both wild and tamed, had been found in various empty storerooms already. At least, from what Joshua gathered from Charon's boasting. However, none the only ones who had managed to escape were Khrista and the two Pokemon.

The teen mentally paged through the list of kidnappees trapped within the skyscraper. Maya and Tina couldn't - or wouldn't - remember a large chunk of what had happened when they were in "zombie mode," so he had to go off what they knew of the humans and Pokemon that they could recognize, hoping they had enough connections to get to the rest.

Silver was probably going to have the most connections, seeing as he had interacted with most - if not, all - of the kids in the area. If anything, all Joshua would have to do would be break the spell on Silver, then name the rest of the kids, depending on how many there actually were in the building. And then there was the problem of finding the Pokemon Cyrus had hidden somewhere within his citadel.

Joshua closed his eyes, going over events in his head, considering what might happen if this or that took place. When the black box stopped moving, his plan had already become much more solid - in more ways than one.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Charon eyed the boy as he got out of the black box, which had been made specifically for that child, just so that he couldn't see what they did within those halls and get any ideas. The teenager was too smart for his own good, and the scientist was doing everything he could to keep the boy from getting any smarter.

"Today, against my better judgement, we are going to forgo the fitness tests," Charon stated.

The boy frowned slightly, but didn't respond verbally, as the Galactic scientists had suspects.

"We are going to partner you up with someone today," Charon continued with a wry smile.

"A Pokemon?" the boy guessed.

"No. I'm setting you up with a tutor."

The teen became bored. "Yeah, sure. Like I need that." He placed his hands in his pockets, a sign Charon had associated with meaning that the kid had other ideas for what he could have been doing right then and there.

"He's got a point, Boss," Butch remarked. "All his record state that he knows everything there is to know."

Charon sent Butch a glare, and the ex-Rocket member kept anything else that would come out of his mouth with his left hand.

"I was referring to teaching you our ways," Charon continued. "You could become one of us. A Galactic."

"Does it look like I want to be?" The boy looked annoyed. "If I'd wanted to, I'd have kissed your boots the moment I woke up."

Butch looked like he wanted to gag at the mental picture, but he resisted the urge by tightening his grip in the black box's handlebar, gritting his teeth.

Charon glared at the boy. "Run."

"Until when?" the boy asked in return.

"Until your feet fall off."

The boy shrugged, took his hands out of his pockets, and walked over to the track, picking his speed up until he was running.

Charon watched the boy, his anger still churning at dangerous levels. Ever since the boy had arrived, certain, normal events had begun to become imbalanced. Entire squadrons were becoming emotional, which was not supposed to be a part of Cyrus' perfect world. He had removed emotions from the human heart, but now they were coming back, and everything was going out of whack. Charon, who had heard of the Lake Spirits' absence, considered blaming them. However, there could have been other causes...


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Now!"

"Leaf Storm!" Khrista exclaimed, summoning a flurry of leaves from out of nowhere and hurling them at the target. The dummy Sharpedo was instantly shredded.

Rose, Khrista's Roserade, nodded in approval. "Good, good. Your charging time is still a slight problem, but that will be solved the more you use it."

"Right," Khrista agreed, nodding, she relaxed her stance, and her shirt changed from green to red, a moment later, a circular area on her chest flashed, causing the teen to look downward. "That wasn't there before," she noted.

"No, it wasn't," Flare agreed, coming over with Vapor and Jolt. He stood up on his hind legs, using Khrista's knees as a support, in order to get a better look. "It looks like a Master Ball."

"But it's yellow," Jolt pointed out.

"Does it matter what color it is?"

"It looks like it helps in telling whether or not I'm using my powers," Khrista guessed. She summoned a fireball, causing the Master Ball to vanish. "Yup." The teen threw the fireball at the shredded dummy, causing it to burst into flames. Turning off her firepowers, Khrista turned to look at Jolt. "Are you up for teaching me next?"

The Jolteon nodded. "However, we've gotta have lunch first!" He motioned for those present to follow him, then ran off for the main cavern Khrista and the others not far behind.

In the room where the groups of Pokemon had been training when Khrista had arrived, there was now a table loaded with food for humans and Pokemon alike. Already, Trainers and Pokemon were mulling around, eating and chatting.

The group dispersed quickly, going for favorite foods, leaving Khrista by herself with a slightly confused look on her face.

The teen let out a sigh and shrugged. "Well, food's food," she remarked. With that, she trotted over to the table, found an unclaimed, clean platen and loaded it with a couple sandwiches, a couple Berries, and a small, refillable bottle of water. Ten, after considering her options, the teen moved over to a small group of Dratini and Dragonair, who were surrounding Rayquaza.

"What are you guys doing?" Khrista asked, curious.

A Dragonair turned to look at her, then stated, "Rayquaza promised that he would teach one Dragon-Type that wasn't Drake's the Draco Meteor move. We've been trying to ask him who he's going to teach next."

Khrista looked mildly interested. "Really?"

The Dragon-Type nodded. "Not that you'd have any interest in that. He can't teach a human."

"No...but he can teach me." Khrista promptly willed herself to become the Dragon-Type, succeeding for only a second, leaving her sweating from exertion.

The Dragonair looked mildly amused. "If you really think becoming a Dragon-Type is so easy, you've got another thing coming."

Khrista sighed. "I know, Arius, but I've got to try and master all the Types before we to after Cyrus. I've already got the Starter Types mastered; I just have to get the rest of them."

"And the Dragon-Type is the toughest one for you," Arius guessed. He had completely lost interest in going after Rayquaza, who had managed to slip away, forcing the crowd of Kanto Dragon-Types to disperse. "Altia's teaching methods aren't going to cut it for you. You're going to need multiple dragons."

"Are you going to help me, then?" Khrista inquired.

"Yes. However, before I can, you must master the other types." Arius started to move away, adding, "Meet me here when you are done with the others."

"I will," Khrista promised. Remembering the plate and bottle of water she held, then teen sat down with her back against the rock wall, then began eating.

As Khrista was getting through her first sandwich, a voice asked, "Mind if I join you?"

Khrista looked up and almost choked on her mouthful out of surprise, but resisted the urge. "Not at all," she responded.

"Thanks!" Green plopped down nest to Khrista, her Jigglypuff beside her. After giving an Oran Berry to the Pokemon, she asked, "You're Khrista, right? The girl who got away from the torture building up there?"

Khrista nodded, her surprise increasing. "How did you know?"

The Kanto Trainer smirked. "News of your arrival has spread faster than a Charizard running from a rainstorm. Almost everybody knows already."

"Really?" Khrista was intrigued. "And who'd you hear it from?"

"Mist has been chatting about it for most of the lunch hour," Green explained. "Your other Pokemon are pretty talkative, too."

"We'll, I guess I should expect that, seeing as they're excited that I'm here," Khrista remarked. She took another bite out of her meal. "How have you guys been coping? I find it pretty incredible that you guys have been surviving underground."

"The Exploration Teams and Elite Four groups have been raiding nearby towns, so food isn't a problem." Green picked up a sandwich and nibbled on it a little. "What exactly were you doing with all those Pokemon, anyway? You know you can't take all of them as a team wherever you go."

"I know that," Khrista responded. "They're just helping me out with something."

"And you need at least one of every Type?"

Khrista smiled nervously. "News'll probably spread of why soon enough."

Green smirked. "But I want to be the one to learn it first."

Khrista's nervousness vanished and, after looking around, she stated, "Azelf told me that Cyrus' reviver machine had residue DNA in it from the other kids who had gone through. This caused some kids who went through to develop abilities they shouldn't have had otherwise. Uxie developed the idea that the last kid who went through should get all the DNA that was left." Khrista pointed to herself.

Green's eyes widened. "You're the last kid?"

Khrista nodded. "The DNA gave me the ability to access Pokemon Types. _All_ Pokemon Types."

The Jigglypuff, who had been finishing off a Leppa Berry, stared at Khrista in astonishment. Khrista caught sight of this, and her nervous smile returned. "Yeah. Caleb, my Lucario, said my Aura now looks like it could belong to a Legendary the size of Rayquaza."

"The size of -" Green shook her head in amazement. "Wow. What are you, then? An Omni-Type?"

Khrista frowned. "Omni-Type?"

"You know - everything at once."

Khrista shook her head. "I wouldn't go that far. I can only access one Type at a time, as far as I know. I haven't tried to become a Dual-Type yet."

"Do you think you could show us?" the Jigglypuff asked, curious.

Khrista swallows the remains of her sandwich and, after a moment, the yellow Master Ball vanished. The teen then picked up an Oran Berry, and an instant later it burst into flames, causing Green to gasp in alarm. After half a minute, the fire dies down, and Khrista quickly swallowed the fruit. A disgusted look crossed her face. "Next time I try something like that, I'm making a grilled cheese sandwich." The graphic then returned.

"That's incredible!" Green exclaimed. "This sort of thing has never happened before!"

"I bet a lot of people have wished for this sort of thing." Khrista pointed out.

"They haven't needed to," the Jigglypuff responded. "They've always had us."

Khrista was about to respond to this when Jolt called out, "Khrista! Do you want to train or talk?"

Khrista grinned at Green. "Gotta go. Can't keep my Pokemon waiting."

"Good luck with that," the Kanto Trainer responded.

The Jigglypuff smiled wryly. "No one else is going to believe this. Pokemon training the Trainer...that is going to be interesting."

Khrista nodded in agreement, gave the two a quick wave as she got up, and trotted over to the tunnel Jolt was standing by, leaving her now empty plate and water bottle behind.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

When Joshua returned to his cell from his workout, Maya and Tina were wide awake, any trace of exhaustion gone, sitting on the floor with one of the rare trays of food between them. This one was piled with rather sorry-looking French fries.

"He tried to give me the offer," Joshua stated, sitting down on the floor next to them.

"Did you call him a snob-bucket, like we suggested?" Maya asked eagerly.

"Or a snot bucket?" Tina added.

"In a way," Joshua responded calmly.

Maya frowned. "You didn't, did you?"

"No; I did not."

"You're no fun!" Tina complained. "We told you to call him something!"

"If I called him so,etching, I'd probably end up cling back looking worse than I am now." Lowering his voice, the teen added, "Besides - our cousin's called him a knucklehead a few times already, and he's got a lot on his mind, considering what Cyrus might have ordered him to do."

Tina frowned. "I never heard her call him a knucklehead," she remarked.

"She said it during one of our conversations," Joshua explained.

"Or, you _had one_ and you _heard_ her say it," Maya pointed out, a triumphant grin on her face.

"...Maybe." Joshua reached for a handful of French fries on the tray, which was glistening with a fresh coating of the tracking powder. It was now almost impossible to avoid the stuff, since Khrista had managed to escape without any in her system. If they were going to find her, she was either to be found or to attack a group of Galactics.

When Joshua was done finishing off the fries, he slid the tray at the door. A compartment opened up, and a gloved hand quickly removed the trey from the cell.

"It's going to happen soon, isn't it?" Tina asked in a hushed tone.

Joshua removed the miniaturized PokeBall from his pocket and examined it quietly. "Soon," he agreed.


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Keep it up, Khrista! Just a little bit higher!"

Khrista frowned, gritting her teeth in concentration as she tried to lift the boulder using Telekinesis onto the already tall stack of rocks she had created. The teen had managed to learn the basics of most of the Types over the past few days, mastering most of them within a day or two. At present, she was trying to get more of an understanding of the Psychic-Type, since Alak hadn't truly been able to teach her enough of the techniques she needed. Now, it was Elaine, an Espeon, who had taken the job of teaching her.

Khrista let out a low growl as he powers reaches their limit, the boulder she was lifting levitating right next to the rock already at the top of the pile. Waving her arms around like a band conductor, she tried to get it higher, only to receive a pounding headache, the boulder falling to the ground with a bang.

Elaine flinched as the rock hit the earth. "Looks like we've found your limit," she remarked. "Then again, you still have a lot of power. I don't think I'd be able to make a pile half that size."

"Nor I."

Khrista's head turned p, catching sight of Sabrina and Cackle standing at the cavern's entrance. Obviously, news of what the teen was doing had reached the Psychic-Type Gym Leader.

"You certainly have quite a gift, if you can lift seven boulders of that size," the Kanto Trainer continued as she approached the two.

Khrista looked embarrassed and surprised. "Really?"

Cackle nodded. "Sabrina can only lift two; three, if she's really feeling it." He smirked. "Have you messed around with any attacks yet?"

Elaine nodded. "She managed to teach herself Psycho Cut when I was coming over." She looked over at Khrista. "You wouldn't mind demonstrating, would you?"

"Of course not," Khrista responded. She looked over at the pile of boulders, then got into a Gallade-like stance, her left arm up at her chest, the other at her side. An instant later, the arm glowed a watery purple, and the teen made a slashing motion as her body moved forward. The concentrated psychic energy blasted forward, hitting the rock at the base of the staff, causing it to break into pieces and the entire pile to tumble to the ground.

The teen looked over at Sabrina. "It took me a little bit to figure that one out, mostly because of the body motion. One actually has to move forward so that one's momentum gives speed to the attack. Otherwise, the attack deteriorates and scatters." Khrista pointed to the wall, where various burn marks were located on the rocks at different elevations. "I managed to master it only when Elaine suggested I out some oomf into the move." Khrista walked over to Sabrina. "So, any particular reason you came by?"

"Actually, yes," Sabrina answered. "The Professors have heard of your presence here and decided to send someone over here to get out."

"Wha-really?" Khrista's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Cackle nodded. "Birch is really eager to meet you in person."

Khrista grinned, her shirt going from Psychic pink to its normal color. "I'd like to meet him, too," she remarked. "They're back in that Underground place, right?"

"If you're referring to the town, then yes," Elaine confirmed. "I could go along with you to their headquarters, if you want."

"I wouldn't mind the company," Knrista replied with a smile. "Lead the way!"

The pair left the cavern and walked towards the tunnel that connected the two camps.

"So, you mind if we come along?" Cackle asked, he and Sabrina approaching from behind. "It's our turn to accept challengers, so we have to head back there, anyway."

"I don't see why not," Khrista responded. As the group continued to walk, she asked, "How do you guys work the challenges, anyway?"

"We've arranged it so that each of us takes a section of a day during the week - at least, what might be considered a week," Sabrina explained. "Erika and Gardenia went earlier today, so now it's my turn, as well as the twins from Mossdeep."

"Tate and Liza?" Krista guessed.

Elaine nodded. "They've been a great help with keeping the day and night cycles going down here."

"That makes sense - they do own a Lunatone and a Solrock."

"And you know that how?" Cackle inquired.

"I've fought them in a Gym Battle," Khrista responded. "Swamp and Mighteyna were integral in beating them."

Sabrina gave Khrista a curious look. "Oh?"

Khrista nodded. "Lunatone is a Rock/Psychic-Type and Solrock's a Fire/Rock-Type. Swamp's Water moves were super effective against both, and Mighteyna assisted in taking out Lunatone. Course, Xatu and Claydol were also a bit of a problem, but Raichu helped against the Flying/Psychic-Type, and Swamp had Claydol easy."

"You certainly seem to know a lot about us," Cackle noted.

"I was one of the people who went to all the regions available," Khrista answered, "so it would make sense that I had this sort of knowledge." She smirked. "The people up there don't know that, though. All they know I'd that I'm an expert on Hoenn and that's it."

"They didn't get anything out of you?" Elaine asked.

"They didn't try to! Butch realized that I had my willpower still and told me I just had to answer the questions somehow. He didn't say I had to answer them completely and honestly."

Cackle grinned, then let out a laugh. "Awesome! You're quick on the draw, kid. Have you done anything else to them?"

Khrista's smile became wider. "I asked Darkrai to torture Cyrus at night with all different sorts of nightmares. I don't know how either of them are doing right now, but I hope that Darkrai's making Cyrus too fatigued to lead."

"So that's where Darkrai is!" Elaine exclaimed. "How'd you get the idea to do that?"

Khrista shrugged. "I knew at whoever had taken over had to pay in some way, so I asked the Legendary to do what he does best."

"Smart," Cackle noted. "Have you seen him since?"

"Only once, and that was during my time in the dreamscape, back in the tower."

Sabrina eyed the teenager curiously. "What did he say to you?"

Khrista grinned nervously. "It wasn't so much what he said to me as what he said to Ash."

"Wait - what?" Elaine asked, confused and startled.

"The Red Chain works naturally on Pokemon," Khrista explained. "It seems to work on the Ketchum boy, only because he received strange liberties in exchange. For instance, he can travel around as his normal self in the dreamscape, and bring others along for the ride. When Darkrai and I had conversed, we were in Ash's Pikachu's dreamscape. I fact, Pikachu had actually asked Darkrai to make Cyrus become struck with a Thunderbolt in one of his nightmares."

Cackle's jaw dropped, bounced on the floor comically, then hit home, causing the Haunter to do a backflip.

Elaine frowned. "I find that rather hard to believe."

"I don't," Sabrina responded. "This sort of event has been spoken of among psychics with a sort of reverence. To be able to traverse the Dream Realm is a coveted ability many search for, but few obtain. Very few survived the process of gaining such power... What else did the Red Chain allow him to do?"

"If you say Ash's name often enough in a day, he regains his free will for a little while," Khrista responded. "Butch let that me slip during our question-and-answer session."

Elaine looked intrigued. "Have you told Ash?"

"No; I haven't conversed with him since that second night. If anything, he's probably visiting Pikachu."

"That would make sense," Cackle remarked. He looked ahead of the group. "Looks like we're almost through."

Sure enough, the group had reached the end of the tunnel. Emerging between the two Gym buildings. Tate and Liza were awaiting nearby with their Lunatone and Solrock floating beside them.

"You were almost late," Tate warned Sabrina as the group approached.

"Erika's having a little trouble with a challenger, though," Liza added. "So we have to wait for a little longer."

"What sort of challenger?" Khrista asked, intrigued.

_"The pair known as Eliza and Grace,"_ Lunatone responded. _"The Espeon and Eevee from your your world."_

Khrista's eyes widened. "Grace? She's one of Maya's friends! I remember meeting her at one of our family reunions. Those two were always talking about Eevee and its evolutions."

One of the buildings' doors opened at this point, and an Espeon, and Eevee, and Gym Leader Erika emerged.

"...and that is why I cant's decide what Type I want to be!" the Eevee was saying.

"Well, you'll have to made up your mind about it pretty soon," the Espeon warned. "I've been hearing rumors that we're going to be heading up in attack formation pretty soon."

"Maya always thought you'd make a great Glaceon," Khrista pointed out.

The two Pokemon's heads turned, catching sight of their still human friend.

"Khrista?" Grace guessed, cocking her head, curious.

"The one and only," Khrista confirmed with a smile. "How're you doing, Grace?"

"Great!" Grace grinned at Eliza. "This is Maya's cousin, Khrista! You remember her, right?"

"How can I forget?" Eliza asked in return. "Maya was always talking about her cousin and those Eeveelutions of hers."

"Who are all here except for Leaf," Elaine added.

Khrista gave Elaine a look of surprise. "She isn't?"

The Espeon shook her head. "Not everybody managed to escape from the PC Box Systems in time, you know."

The teen let out a low growl. "Great. Another item to add to my list of grievances against Cyrus."

"Speaking of which, you'd better get to the Professors' place," Cackle reminded Khrista.

The teen nodded. "Right." She grinned in Grace's and Eliza's direction. "I'll see you guys later, then."

"We've got a lot to catch up on," Eliza agreed.

"Come on," Elaine stated. "I know where the Professors are located." She took off at a fast trot for the other side of the square, Khrista in pursuit.

Upon reaching the Professor building, Khrista looked it over, asking, "This is it?" She sounded a little disappointed, seeing as she had been hoping for a bit more of an elegant place.

Elaine nodded. "Yup. Go on in; I'll wait out here for you."

The teen nodded, let out a sigh to release whatever nervousness that had built up in her system, then opened the door and peered in. "Hello?"

The professors and the Lake Trio looked up from a table in the center of the lab, on which was a hand drawn map of the skyscraper's insides.

Birch grinned. "There you are! Get over here, Khrista." As the teen approached, he continued, "We were talking about our battle plan, and wanted your input on a few things."

"What kind of things?" Khrista inquired, a little surprised by this statement.

_"Infiltration."_ Uxie motioned to the map. _"Cyrus has psychic defenses set up in certain locations, so my siblings and I are no longer capable of mentally accessing those within his lair. This is why you were forced from your hiding place originally - they managed to detect our midnight visit to you and Alak."_

_"We need someone with an unnoticeable amount of Psychic abilities to sneak in and take out the Psychic sensors,"_ Azelf continued. _"Plus, if that someone could weaken the other defenses, that'd be great, too."_

"And you want me to do that," Khrista guessed. Upon receiving a nod in reply from the Being of Willpower, she grinned. "I'm up for it. Joshua should be, too, once I get back there. When d you guys plan on attacking?"

"Any day, now," Professor Juniper replied. "However, we're sending you back a little earlier than our estimated time of attack."

"How early are we talking?"

"We were thinking...two day cycles," Elm replied.

"Two days?" Khrista repeated. "It's only been three, and I still haven't mastered all the Types yet!"

"Unfortunately, we don't have the time to allow you to do so," Rowan stated. "If anything, I would suggest you look into the most difficult Type and concentrate on that one before leaving."

Khrista nodded. "The only Type that I think is the most difficult is the Dragon-Type. I'd better get back to Mt. Coronet and find Rayquaza." She turned and started to leave.

_"Don't rely on just Rayquaza,"_ Uxie called after her. _"Gather all the Dragon-Types you have available and have them train you."_

Khrista glanced back at the Legendary as she reached the door. "Right; I'll give it a try." With that, she opened the door and walked out.


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Cyrus had reached the point where Darkrai's visions affected his time awake as week as what remained of his attempts at rest. The grunts and Commanders had learned quickly to avoid him as much as possible and, when he wasn't avoidable, just stand and take what he had to say and pretend to listen...or run away as fast as their legs could carry them.

At the point in time that Khrista was running back to Mt. Coronet with Elaine, Cyrus was stalking Charon as the scientist was making his rounds. Charon was doing his best to ignore him, but Cyrus kept muttering about how a Lucario was protecting him from Darkrai. It sounded so childish that the Galactic scientist wanted to turn around and smack his hallucinating boss, but to do so might mean a position worse off than where the old man already was.

"Have you caught Cresselia yet?"

Charn let out a sigh. "No, we haven't. The Pokemon has continued to elude us." A faint, sinister laugh echoed in the back of the scientist's mind, forcing him to resist the urge to shudder.

"I'm beginning to consider sending you out there," Cyrus remarked.

"I have the children to consider, sir," Charon reminded him. "Someone has to keep an eye on those mindless creatures and that boy."

"I need Cresselia, Charon, and I will send them out to get it if I have to."

"I am aware of that," Charon responded without looking back at Team Galactic's leader. "However, it's going to take some time to prepare them for the upside world. They were practically turned into vegetables by that machine, you know."

"That's what it was meant to do," Cyrus responded calmly. Charon, however, sensed malice in the man's voice as he spoke. "It made them mindless soldiers to obey our every command."

"It also stripped them of most of their knowledge of this place," Charon growled darkly. "Without that, they're as useless as Magikarp."

"So you've said." Cyrus walked around to stand in front of Charon, stopping the scientist. "However, they are without spirit, making them perfect."

_Perfectly useless,_ Charon thought bitterly. His eyes widened, and he realized what he had just thought. _Cyrus' "perfect world"... If I'm living in it, then why do I still exhibit things of the old one?_

In front of him, Cyrus suddenly collapsed from exhaustion, startling the scientist out of his thoughts.

_"Cyrus' perfect world never existed,"_ a dark voice hissed, echoing in the hallway. _"The Lake Spirits would have been destroyed if it was. Arceus took precautions not to let that happen, and now we're taking precautions against you. Choose your side wisely..."_

As the voice slowly disappeared, the words hit home in Charon's mind. A hidden sixth sense awakened, telling him that something big was going to happen, something that would most likely end up with him worse off than he had been before.

The scientist quickly summoned a pair of Nurse Joys to carry Cyrus to his chambers, thinking, _I must act quickly..._


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

_"You need all of us to teach you how to be a Dragon-Type?"_ Rayquaza asked, surprised.

Khrista nodded, looking around the crowd of Pokemon she and befriended. "The Professors want me to go back in two days' time, so that I can start ruling up the inhabitants and take out what defenses they have. I figured that having the Dragon-Type under my belt might help."

"I should think so," Arius agreed, the tip of his tail twitching. "Where do you want us to start?"

"The basics. You'll have to decide together what the 'basics' are, though - this is that one chance you'll have to train me."

The Dragon-Types looked at each other, then went into a huddle as Khrista sat down on the rocky floor, smiling as she listened to the Pokemon's voices.

Arius wanted to start out with Dragon Rage, Dragonbreath, and Twister, which were moves that were normally taught to younger Dragon-Types, as well as the occasional Rock, Flying, or Fire-Type. Lyra, an Altaria, wanted to start with Dragon Dance, and Georgia, one of the rare red Gyrados, agreed. Meanwhile, Don and Silas, the Flygon and Salamence, were conversing with Drift - a Dragonite - about techniques for teaching Dragon Rush and Dragon Claw. Druddigon was doing the same with Hax, a Haxerous, concerning Dragon Tail. And, in the center of the group, Rosa, a Latias, was conversing with Rayquaza about Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse.

After some time, the Pokemon began to argue among themselves which one would teach Khrista first, eventually splitting into separate groups in different areas of the cave, with Rosa and Rayquaza remaining in the center of the cavern.

"So, you've come to a decision?" Khrista asked as she stood up.

Rosa nodded. _"We're going to have you go around and learn the techniques from each of us in any order, except you can only come to Rayquaza and I last."_

_"Since they really couldn't come to an agreement on who would teach you first, they decided that you should be the one to make the decision,"_ Rayquaza added.

Khrista let out a breath to release whatever stress that might have built up in their system. "All right, then." She looked around the cave, confiding her options. _I'll want to start with something simple, to ease myself into it Dragon Dance raises Attack and Speed, but it won't truly help unless I've got other Dragon abilities mastered..._ Eventually, she decided on where she was going first, and Khrista strode over to where Arius waited.

"Which one do you want to work on first?" Arius asked as his Trainer approached.

"I want to give Twister a try," Khrista replied calmly. "It kinda looks like it's based off the Flying-Type move Gust."

"I've been told it was the other way around," Arius remarked. "According to legend, Dragons were created first, and the other Pokemon came after, inventing moved based off what we knew." He moved around Khrista, looking her over. "Hmmm... Have you tried to maintain that Dragon-Type form?"

"A couple times," Khrista admitted. "It didn't last long, though."

Arius frowned. "Let's start with that, then, before I go ahead and dive into this teaching thing. What do you normally do?"

"At first, I relied a little on my emotions to change my Type," Khrista replied. "Anger for Fire, annoyance for Fighting, and so on. Now, though, I've got a little more control, but the Dragon-Type still eludes me."

Arius nodded slightly. "All right, then. Perhaps you have not yet felt what you need to feel in order to become a Dragon."

Khrista frowned. "What are you suggesting?"

"Think of something...regal."

"Regal? Well, when I think of something like that, it usually involves royalty. Kings, queens, and so on. Are you suggesting that the Dragon-Type is like that?"

"The Legendaries are usually part Dragon, aren't they?"

Khrista nodded. "I see your point, besides, just as monarchies are rare, so are dragons." Her red shirt flickered royal blue for a moment.

"Monarchy was once how Dragon clans were led," Arius recalled. "Each species of Dragon-Type was led by a Shiny form, which wasn't as rare as it is today. Every generation of new Pokemon released a Shiny form into the world. In the Dragon Clans, it was concentrated into a single bloodline, claimed to have been descended from the Legendaries directly."

"I've heard about things like that," Khrista remarked, her shirt flickering more frequently. "How rare colorings can be passed from parent to child. The same goes with certain moves, too."

"Indeed. Extremespeed was originally thought to be learned by the royal sons who had normal coloring."

"Like you," Khrista realized, turning to look at Arius more directly. "You knew Extremespeed when you we given to me by the Head Elder of BlackThorn."

Arius nodded. "Yes. My family contains some of the royal blood within our veins. However, the term 'king' has long since been discarded from everyday interactions."

Khrista grinned. "Yeah. Especially considering how rare the odd colorings are nowadays."

"You are a rare occurrence, as well," Arius pointed out. "Many legends have foretold of creatures who were capable of switching between human form and Pokemon form. Your powers are the closest we are ever going to get in this time period."

Khrista smiled. "I'm as rare as the Shiny Dragon-Types," she murmured. Her shirt continued to flicker, only now it was remaining royal blue for longer intervals. "I think I've figured it out, Arius. Dragon-Type is a feeling...of pride." The shirt stopped flickering, remaining royal blue.

Arius smiled. "Looks like you've got it," he remarked. "Now, you said you wanted to learn Twister?"

Khrista nodded. "I don't exactly feel comfortable with Dragonbreath because Pokemon use it by breathing the attack out."

"I believe it is the only way to use Dragonbreath," Arius responded. "Twister, however, is a move that can be generated by the flapping of wings or the summoning of winds."

"Summoning winds?"

"Correct. This is easy for a Dragonair like me, because we are capable of messing with the weather around us if we so choose. The trick with you is to work out your own way of using the move." Arius turned his head and nodded to a figure, and a Pidgeot approached. "Paula is going to use her wings to create a wind, and I want you to harness it. Find a connection with that power and use it to your advantage."

Khrista nodded, understanding where Arius was going. "Right. Whenever you're ready, Paula!"

Paula nodded. "Here goes!" She started to flap her wings vigorously, forcing Khrista to raise a hand to block the wind from her face, her hair flying out behind her.

"Remember to take control of the wind!" Arius called out. "Shape it into a Twister!"

"How?" Khrista shouted back.

"Not to sound too much like an Areodactyl, but you have to become one with the wind!"

Khrista frowned. "One with the wind?" she muttered. "How's that going to work?" She started to lower her hand, forcing the teen to shut her eyes to protect them from the wind. She stood there, hands at her sides, feeling the wind blast around her and through her hair.

After standing there for a time, Khrista began to get an inkling of what Arius had meant. She could feel the power in the air rubbing against her arms and face. Instinctively, she started to gather the wind together into an area in front of her, using some sort of power source in her chest. The wind kept exiting in bursts of energy, but Khrista managed to keep it in one place. She then began to spin the "wind power" in one direction, opening her eyes in order to see what exactly she was doing. Surprisingly, the wind obeyed her fingers' touch, as it became the mini-tornado the move Twister was.

Arius nodded in approval. "Good, good. Now, let's see if what you created has any actual Dragon-Type powers." He stuck his tail-tip into the twister, only pulling it out when a small rock from the cave floor smacked it.

Khrista held her breath as Arius inspected the three spheres on his tail. The Dragonair noticed this, and smiled in spite of himself.

"I have strong defenses," he told his Trainer. "You can relax." After staring at his tail for a moment longer, he lowered it and looked at Khrista. "There's some Dragon power in there, but most of what you used to create the Twister is Flying power." He blew out the Twister, and the wind dispersed.

"Well, Paula was supplying the wind for me, so the Flying powers could have come from here," Khrista pointed out.

"Perhaps, but I find it doubtful. A wind is a wind, no matter where it comes from."

_"The Dragonair speaks the truth."_

Khrista's head turned, and she caught sight of the rainbow-colored Legendary bird from Jhoto entering the cavern followed by an Entei with a blue mask. The mere size of the Fire/Flying-Type astonished the teen, since she had never seen the Pokemon in person. Had she not managed to catch the Pokemon in SoulSilver, Khrista would have been greatly intimidated.

"Pyrus," Arius identified, nodding to the Entei. "What brings you here?"

_"We came to discuss a few things with the Professors,"_ Pyrus explained. Khrista, upon hearing his voice, mentally noted that Pyrus sounded a lot like Entei, wondering if they were twins or siblings of some sort.

"I think they're still in the Underground," Khrista remarked. "They've been discussing their plan concerning taking out you-know-who."

Ho-Oh nodded. _"We thought as much; that is the reason we came here."_

"It is?" Arius asked, curious.

Khrista smirked, knowing exactly what Ho-Oh was alluding to. "You're planning on unleashing the fury in those thunderclouds, aren't you?"

_"Exactly,"_ Pyrus confirmed. _"We have been filling them with energy, and they're just about ready to burst. If we time it right, we can unleash our own fury on the tower, thereby weakening it and opening more of a chance of destroying Cyrus."_

Khrista's smirk became a grin. "Perfect! That'll turn it from a three-pronged attack to a four-way. I'm going to be heading back there in two days, but I don't know when the attack's going to take place, other than that it's going to happen soon."

_"We could sense the energy as we arrived here,"_ Ho-Oh stated. _"Victini is energizing everything and everyone he can get his hands on."_

"He always said that he didn't have enough things to do to keep him busy," Paula recalled. "I guess with this thing that's coming up, he's in charge of morale. It's hard to be unhappy about it at this point - he's releasing so much energy that we're practically jumping all over the place."

Khrista's grin went back to a smirk. "I actually haven't run into him yet, but I have to admit - I do feel a little more energized than normal."

"That's Victini's work," Arius confirmed. Turning to look at Pyrus and Ho-Oh, he explained, "Khrista is basically a Legendary Pokemon, thanks to Azelf's meddling. We're trying to teach her the various Dragon moves before she goes back to the Tower. I apologize if we kept you."

_"No need,"_ Ho-Oh responded. _"I now know the time for attack is near; the specific date is another thing entirely."_ He looked down at Pyrus. _"Come; I sense a Trainer nearby who might tell us of what will occur."_ With that, the two left the cavern.

Khrista looked over at Rayquaza. "Do they live in the area?"

_"Most of the Elite Trainers knew that Ho-Oh, Lugia, and the pairs of Entei, Suicune, and Raikou live in those mountains near the PokeBall Graveyard,"_ Rayquaza explained. _"They've been keeping what remains of the weather going until the time that their elemental storm could be unleashed."_

"So it wasn't just those three Arceus showed us," Khrista recalled.

"If they're getting ready to unleash that thing, we'd better get back to training you," Arius remarked. "Let's try that Twister again..."


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"It's going to happen soon," Joshua muttered to himself. He had been left alone in his cell again - Maya and Tina were doing some sort of training session - and he was conversing with the Pokemon Butch had given him. Or allowed him to reunite with. Whichever worked.

"How soon?" the Pokemon asked, curious.

"She's coming back within a few days' time, and that action will set everything in motion," Joshua answered. "It won't be long before we can go all out."

The Pokemon grinned, rubbing its paws together. "I hope those visions of yours are right. I know of a few Pokemon who'd be more than happy to join in."

"I figured you would. We'll have to find them after Khrista arrived, however. I want you to be her guide."

"Her guide? Do you have any idea what goes on out there? If we end up getting spotted, we may as well be dead!"

"I know you've been working on your cloaking ability. Your type and species are well-known for your disguising skills."

The Pokemon became embarrassed. "Ah, come on! You know I'm out of practice."

"Then going around with her will give you practice," Joshua responded calmly. "She's practicing her own abilities, too."

"So you've said. But how are we to be sure?"

"I know because of -"

"The visions. So you've said."

Joshua sighed. "I know because I was there when she discovered them," he stated. "I told you about that already. Z, you're going to have to do this whether you like it or not. If I - who people know live here - go out and explore, the plot will be discovered and you and I may as well be dead."

Z nodded. "I get the picture. But do you know when she's going to get here?"

"No. All I know is that she'll be here soon."

The Pokemon became annoyed. "Come on! You've got to have at least some idea. You did get those powers from that machine, didn't you?"

"It doesn't always work, Z," Joshua responded. His head turned slightly. "You might want to disappear. Charon's been popping in at this time of day more and more recently."

Z let out a snort of annoyance, then transformed into a beam of red light, disappearing into his PokeBall, which Joshua promptly shrank and placed in his pocket.

The steel door opened as Joshua was removing his hand from said pocket, and Charon entered the room with Maya and Tina. The Galactic scientist and the teen exchanged glared as the two Pokemon climbed into their beds without a word.

"The answer is still no," Joshua stated calmly.

"I thought as much," Charon remarked, surprisingly calm. "However, you will change your mind - and soon, might I add." With that, the old man left the room without another word.

Joshua frowned, trying to decipher what the Galactic scientist had said. Upon realizing what he had meant, Joshua looked at his two siblings, both of whom had taken the lower bunks without even a look in his direction.

Joshua let out an annoyed sigh. "Great. Back to square one."


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"Hah!" Khrista barked, throwing a sphere of glowing, blue and purple energy at Caleb. The Lucario promptly jumped to one side, avoiding the attack.

"There you go again," the Pokemon stated. "You've got to remember that you're not using Aura Sphere. Keep holding onto the energy beyond what an orb could handle, then release it as a beam."

The teen nodded. "I know, I know. Reflex, I guess. I'm just a little nervous - don't want this to explode in my face."

"Don't worry about that," Caleb responded. "The only moves that harm the user are Take Down, Double Edge, Brave Bird, and those other moves that cause a recoil of some sort."

"This could probably turn into one if I'm not to careful," Khrista remarked.

"I doubt it. This is a regular Dragon Pulse we're talking about, remember?" Caleb smirked. "Get back into the stance and try again."

Khrista released a sigh, then got back into a Lucario-like stance, her hands glowing bright purple as energy began to gather in the space between them. The teen's eyes narrowed in concentration as a purple sphere appeared and grew quickly. When it had reached the size of an Aura Sphere, the growth rate slowed, and Khrista's hands began to move to a new location: right in front of her chest, still holding the purple sphere on either side. After a moment, the sphere increased in size suddenly, then shrank as all the energy shot out at Caleb as a concentrated beam of Dragon power.

"There we go!" Caleb encouraged, moving to dodge the Dragon Pulse. "It looks like you've got it."

Khrista grinned as her body relaxed, the attack slamming into a nearby wall and leaving a large dent in the rock. "It'll take a little bit more before I manage to master the move completely, though."

_"I don't know about that,"_ Rosa remarked from her position behind Khrista. _"You mastered the other Dragon moves rather quickly after getting Twister down."_

"Dragon Tail's never going to work, though," Khrista remarked, recalling the disappointed looks that had appeared on Hax's and Druddigon's faces.

Rayquaza chuckled. _"Like it ever would for you. With the stance you have on power and abilities, I doubt you even need it."_

The teen nodded in agreement. "Yeah; I've got a large amount of other moves I can use instead - like Aura Sphere, or Whirlwind."

Caleb nodded. Looking at Rosa, he stated, "I must be going. Karen's is expecting my return."

Rosa smiled slyly. _"Go, them, you mustn't keep her waiting."_

Caleb smirked, gave a quick bow, then dashed out of the cavern using Extremespeed.

Khrista let out a sigh and looked around the cavern, which was now empty except for her, Rosa, and Rayquaza. "Well, that's almost it. Looks like I've got only two Dragon moves left."

Rayquaza frowned. _"Two?"_ He then realized what his Trainer was referring to. _"Oh, no. You are not going to learn Outrage."_

Khrista eyed the Dragon-Type. "And why not?"

_"I don't know if you're ready for it,"_ the Hoenn legendary responded. _"You remember the last time I used it, don't you?"_

The teen's eyes widened.

Rayquaza nodded. _"Exactly. And that's why I won't be teaching you Outrage. Draco Meteor, however, is another matter. Are you prepared to begin your training?"_

Rosa looked startled. _"Now? Are you serious, Rayquaza! The day cycle is almost completed for today!"_

Rayquaza snorted. _"Of course I'm serious! However, that doesn't mean we'll start working on the move right away."_ He looked over at Khrista. _"Tonight, you are going to sleep with me and my brethren."_

Khrista cocked her head to one side, frowning as she did so. "With you guys? Why not with the other humans?"

_"In order for this to work properly, we have to restate the bond we have as Trainer and Pokemon,"_ Rayquaza explained. _"So, you're going to sleep near me, rather than with Swamp and the others."_

"All right, then," Khrista stated readily. "Rosa, do you the you could let the others know?"

Rosa nodded. _"I'll be there and back before you know it!"_ She zoomed out of the cavern, a blast of wind following at the exact same speed.

Khrista grinned. "I can't wait to go for a ride on her," she remarked. "Or you, either. Shoot, the games never let you ride a Flying Pokemon properly."

Rayquaza looked surprised. _"They didn't allow you the experience of our speed?"_

"Well, they did have a Ranger game that involved flight, but that was the only one. And it didn't let me ride you, either - it was just Staraptor and Latias, who I'm pretty certain wasn't flying at full speed." Khrieta crossed her arms over her chest in enjoy acne. "And those experiences probably didn't come even close to what you guys can actually do."

Rayquaza smirked. _"I could give you some of that experience right now, if you want."_

Khrista's eyes sparked. "Really? You'd let me on?"

_"Why not? You're going to have to get used to it."_

Khrista frowned momentarily, then realized where Rayquaza was going with this. It hadn't occurred to her before, but Cyrus' transport thingy - whatever it may have been - had most likely been destroyed after she had come through, meaning that she probably wouldn't be able to go home after all this was said and done.

Khrista nodded after swallowing this knowledge. "Yeah; you're right. So, how're you going to let me on? Do I have to fly up there?"

Rayquaza shook his head, then lowered it down to the ground. _"Climb on."_

Khrista smiled and, after some scrambling and searching for footholds and handholds (which was easy thanks to the Hoenn Legendary's scaly body), Khrista managed to situate herself on Rayquaza's head. "Whenever you're ready!" she called out.

Rayquaza lifted his head slowly, so as to not throw off his Trainer. When he had reached his natural height, the Dragon Pokemon began to move forward. I this manner, they reached the central cavern of Mt. Coronet, where a large mass of Pokemon and Trainers were grouping together.

From her perch above the crowd, Khrista quickly scanned the crowd, looking for anyone that might have been familiar. Rayquaza didn't take note of this, and instead floated over to a section of the crowd that consisted of three other Rayquaza, each of them colored in a unique combination of colors that weren't seen in the games: the first was a cobalt shade with neon-green markings; the second was a light shade of green with white markings, and the third looked like someone had taken a pumpkin and spray-painted it black.

Khrista, upon catching sight of this, wasn't sure what to make of them. The only colors she knew a Rayquaza could be were the normal shades of green, yellow, and red, and the more rare coloring, when black replaced the green. To see three Rayquaza with almost random patterns threw her off a little.

_"Hey, guys,"_ Rayqyaza greeted as he joined the group.

The three Rayquaza turned their heads, eyes instantly going for the teen sitting on their fellow Hoenn Dragon's head.

The cobalt-colored Rayquaza was the first to speak. _"Rayquaza, is that who I think it is?"_

_"Indeed it is, Corza,"_ Rayquaza confirmed. _"Khrista is going to be with us for a little while longer, so she's going to spend the night here before they send her back."_

" 'They' being the Professors," Khrista added.

Corza - who Khrista had now identified as Joshua's Rayquaza - seemed somewhat surprised. _"And when did you get here?"_

"A few days ago. Alak and Gangrene were kind enough to supply an escape route."

_"I see, I had been wondering if those two were up to their old tricks."_ Corza smirked. _"The las time they were out of my sight, they blew up Team Aqua's hidden stash of Master Balls."_

Khrista's eyebrows arched up in surprise. "Plural! As far as I know, there was only one Master Ball there."

_"Oh, he had more than one,"_ the orange Rayquaza stated. _"Archie and Giovanni had rooms upon rooms of the Master Catcher. You other-worlders didn't make a dent when you took one or more each. We blew the rest up when you guys were done collecting."_

Khrista became interested. "Huh. How'd they get so many Master Balls, anyway?"

_"A few usually escape from the explosions,"_ Corza explained. _"Then they're found, reverse-engineered, and the whole thing starts all over again."_ He eyed Khrista for a moment, then asked, _"Have you seen him?"_

Khrista nodded in confirmation. "I managed to get placed in the same cell as Joshua, so the two of us were together for a little while. When I ended up breaking down a wall, he helped me get out of sight. They almost caught me, but Alak and Gangrene teleported me down here to keep me from Cyrus' clutches."

_"Is it true, them?"_ The light green Rayquaza inquired. _"That you've obtained the abilities of all the Types?"_

Khrista nodded again. "I've managed to master most of them, bit there are a few left that I probably won't be able to get to until after." She motioned to her shirt, which was still the royal blue shade. "Right now, I'm working on the Dragon-Type."

The orange Rayquaza smirked. _"Have you tried Draco Meteor yet?"_

_"I was going to teach her that tomorrow, Quetzal,"_ Rayqyaza answered. _"Rosa not just finished working with her on Dragon Pulse."_

The light green Rayquaza - who Khrista now realized was the Rayquaza Tina had named Sirus - looked intrigued. _"A human with the powers of a Pokemon. Such a thing has never happened before."_

"You can thank the Lake Sprits for that one," Khrista replied. "So, what other Legendaries are hanging out around here?"

_"Not many,"_ Corza replied. _"When Cyrus gained control, it was sudden. Instant, even. Many Pokemon in the PC Box System were transported into that building of his, but some managed to escape. Only a small amount of those who managed to get away were Legendaries."_

Khrista became concerned. "If only a small amount escaped, then the rest are being held in Cyrus' tower, right? We can rescue them?"

_"We're not sure,"_ Quetzal answered. _"The Ketchum boy gained a certain...quality from the Red Chain that he used on those they captured."_

_"He drains them of their spirit,"_ Sirus explained.

Khrista paled. "Oh, no." She recalled what had taken place not long after she had arrived - the confrontation with "Dark Giratina." "They can be saved, though. Rayquaza rescued Giratina not long after I came here. He was Confused after an Outrage attack, but he managed to knock him out. In fact, I think I saw some sort of red dust fly off the Legendary and disperse."

The Dragons looked at each other.

_"Red dust?" _Rayqyaza repeated. _"As in, Red Chain dust?"_

"I think so. Giratina returned to normal and fled instantly, so I couldn't really get a good look."

Corza cocked his head slightly. _"Hmmm...interesting. Does anyone else know about this?"_

"The Pokemon that were there - my team, Mewtwo, and Mew. The Lake Spirits probably remember it, too." Khrista let out a yawn, no doubt tired from the day's events.

Quetzal, upon taking note of the yawn, stated, _"Before we send you off to rest, I wish to know something."_

Khrista's gaze moved to the Halloween-themed Hoenn Legendary. "What is it?"

_"I've been getting this odd feeling lately, and it seems to center on Maya. Has something happened to her?"_

Khrista gave the Dragon a sad smile. "Your Trainer's and Eevee."

Quetzal's eyes widened in surprise. _"An Eevee? Seriously?"_

Khrista nodded as Sirus broke into a fit of laughter. Taking note of this, the teen added, "And Tina was turned into a Chikorita."

Sirus stopped laughing. _"My Trainer is a pesky Jhoto Starter?"_ He sounded incredulous.

Quetzal smirked. _"Makes sense. She really liked that Meganium. What was her name again? Chrysanthemum?"_

_"Crys,"_ Sirus corrected. _"After the Catcher."_ He shook his head and let out a sigh. _"When I find her again, things are going to be different. We're not going to be Trainer and Pokemon anymore."_

Rayqyaza nodded. _"You'd be an Exploration Team, then, right? Or do you prefer 'Rescue' instead?"_

_"We spend so much time doing both, it may as well be one or the other!"_ Quetzal replied with a smirk.

Corza snorted. _"Well, that is certainly going to be interesting. Joshua wasn't changed into a Dratini, though?"_

Khrista burst out into laughter. "What gave you that idea? He's still a human, Corza. Don't worry about it."

_"I know. I was just pulling your leg. I haven't sensed anything strange with my Trainer."_

Khrista let out another yawn, stopping her laughter. The Hoenn Legendaries exchanged another glance, and a moment later, Rayquaza was lowering his head to the cave floor.

Khrista slid off Rayquaza's head, surprised to find herself standing in a large nest of some sort.

_"Our sleeping place,"_ Rayquaza explained. _"There should be more than enough room for all four of us."_

Khrista nodded. "I thought as much." As Rayquaza began to lie down around her, Khrista made herself comfortable by curling up against his side, which practically radiated Dragon energy. Because Khrista still had her Dragon-Type abilities active, it felt warm and wonderful. Upon realizing, however, that she was still using her Pokemon abilities, Khrista quickly switched back to her normal, and technically human, self, and snuggled even closer to the Legendary.

_I can't wait to experience this outside as an actual Trainer when all this is over,_ the teen thought as she closed her eyes.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Khrista let out a loud yell of surprise upon finding herself standing in the caves of what looked like an active volcano. "Where is this?!" As she looked around, she caught sight of something at the opposite end of the magma-filled cavern doing her best to ignore the heat, Khrista dashed to the edge of the rock she was standing on, to try and get a better look around.

Khrista frowned. "Duh," she muttered, the yellow Master Ball on her shirt disappearing. The heat the. Lowered considerably, allowing Khrista to run on the magma and make her way through the cavern, not at all bothered by the shimmering illusions byproduct on by the temperatures. It didn't take all that long before Knrista could see clearly.

At the opposite end of the cavern, two figures stood: a Heatran and a Cresselia, both of whom seemed to be discussing something.

_"You can't go!"_ Cresselia exclaimed, exasperated. _"Who knows what they'll do to you?"_

_"If this madness is ever going to stop, I have to,"_ Heatran responded. This was obviously a male, no doubt greatly experienced in the ways of volcanoes. _"No one else has stepped forward, and I am more than happy to. I have the advantage."_

_"And the other one?"_ Cresselia demanded. _"What about him? He'll clobber you the moment you get close!"_

Heatran remained silent for a moment. _"I do have friends who agree with me,"_ he finally stated.

Cresselia's eyes widened. _"Heatran, don't! The both of you will die! We can't lose you!"_

Heatran snorted. _"My family can keep you protected without me. This must be done, my love. For everyone's good."_ He turned towards a tunnel located in the wall nearby and stated, _"I will be back soon. Wait for me."_

_"Always,"_ Cresselia answered.

Khrista, who had been standing on the magma behind a rock jutting out of it, frowned. She had always wondered about inter-breeding between Legendaries, and now, right in front of her eyes, she was seeing something that would get her just about as close as she ever could get short of spying on her own Pokemon when others weren't near. Thoughts began to speed through her mind about Pokemon natures, levels of power and friendship. Eventually, however, Khrista mentally tossed the whole idea out the window, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get any baby Rayquaza running around anytime soon.

Cresselia's head turned slowly as Khrista had been contemplating all this. _"Who's there?"_ she asked, clearly worried.

Khrista jumped a little, startled that someone had seen her, even though she was in her dreamscape. Cautiously, she peered around the boulder. "Yes?"

The Psychic-Type Legendary jumped a little upon seeing the teen. _"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"_ she asked, nervousness in her voice.

"I'm just someone who dropped by accidentally," Khrsita responded.

Cresselia's head cocked to one side - which looked odd, what with her moon-shaped head. _"You're in the Dream World, aren't you?"_ she asked.

Khrista nodded. "I fell asleep and woke up here, and I'm a little confused as to how that happened."

The Sinnoh Legendary looked intrigued. _"It's rare that a human is capable of doing such things,"_ she noted,

"I'm not completely human," Khrista corrected, "which is probably part of the reason I'm here."

_"Hmmm... Yes, I think I see what you mean. How long have you been here?"_

"I got here during your discussion with that Heatran," Khrista answered. "What is this place, anyway? Stark Mountain?"

Cresselia nodded in confirmation. _"Heatran has been protecting a large amount of Pokemon here once Cyrus took over. None of us have left since the sky darkened."_

Khrista's eyebrows rose. "So you don't know."

Cresselia frowned. _"Don't know what?"_

"About what we're planning on doing to Cyrus. There are a lot of people - Trainers and Pokemon - on the mainland who want Cyrus' head. I happen to be one of them. We're planning on attacking his citadel within a few days to end this."

The Legendary's eyes sparked. _"You must be very ambitious to pull off such a feat."_

"And numerous," Khrista added. "We've got most of Mt. Coronet and a large cave underground to use as out base." At the back of her mind, a warning went off, sounding like the alarm one might here from an alarm clock. "I'd better get going; don't want to oversleep."

_"Right,"_ Cresselia agreed. _"Wait! I didn't catch your name!"_

"Khrista," the teen answered as the world faded to white.


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Joshua's eyes snapped open to the sound of tapping on the steel door.

"Get up, kid!" a voice called. "One of our Commanders wants ta see ya!"

Joshua slid off the upper bunk, not bothering to try and land lightly and hide his footsteps. The grunt, Galactic or otherwise, would have needed to know that he was up. The loud thud that resulted didn't cause his sisters to even stir on their sleep; another sign that they had been taken back by the Galactics.

The steel door opened, revealing a young man in a blue uniform and a bandanna with the Team Aqua insignia wrapped around his head. Beside him stood a rather bored-looking Azumaril. Obviously, this was one of the higher-up grunts of the Hoenn team.

"Come on," the Aqua member stated roughly. "Yer comin' with me."

Joshua shrugged, then stepped out of the room, the door slamming with a bang behind him.

"Start walking," the grunt growled, pointing down the hall.

Joshua gave him an odd look. "No black box?"

"Why would I need one of those? You can walk."

The teen smirked. "Charon doesn't seem to think so."

The man allotted himself a small smile in return, then began to walk down the hall, Joshua directly behind him and the Water Rabbit Pokemon bringing up the rear.

"How long has he been using that thing, anyway?" the grunt asked.

"Every time I left my room," Joshua answered calmly, his eyes scanning the hall. This type of information was the kind that the teen could speak of readily, since Charon had been doing it in public.

The Azumaril let out a snort. "Like he needed to. There isn't much to see around here. Everything's the same."

The Aqua grunt glanced back for a moment, then returned his gaze to the hallway, saying nothing to add to his Pokemon's statement.

As Joshua looked around, he noticed that what the Water-Type had said was correct - the entire hallway was a blank canvas, except for the steel doors, with retained their gray color. It was obvious that Cyrus did not let Smeargle run rampant in his building, causing the teen to wonder if Cyrus' favorite color happened to be white.

The grunt seemed to know what Joshua was thinking, because he said, "I always wondered how Cyrus would react if we painted this entire hallway blue. Just this one."

"Especially the way he is now," the Azumaril added. The sound of a mischievous smile coming into his voice.

Joshua frowned. "The way he is now?" he repeated.

The Aqua member glanced back at him. "There's this rumor going around that...the Boss is having a little problem with dreams," he muttered.

"Everybody's been avoiding him because of his temper," Azumaril added. "We think he's starting to lose it."

Joshua thought back to what Butch had said a few days back. "One of my room's guards mentioned something about that."

"I thought as much," the grunt remarked. "The rumor's in everybody's ears."

"Do you believe it?"

"Nah. I haven't run into him yet. I have been feelin' like there's a change that's coming, though." The grunt stopped and pointed to a warp panel, which was glowing blue rather than the normal yellow shade. "Get going, kid."

Joshua frowned. "Why?"

"That's where the Commander's waitin' for ya," the Aqua member answered with a grin. He then pushed Joshua onto the warp panel.


	39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Joshua stumbled off the warp panel, a little dizzy from the teleportation device. He had never really Teleported much in the games, so the dizziness was most likely a side-effect of that.

Or, he hadn't run into this type of warp panel before.

"You all right, kid?" the grunt asked, coming up from behind with the Azumaril.

"I think I'll be fine," Joshua responded. "Just give me a moment for my vision to clear up."

There was a chuckle from someone in front of him. "Not someone for warp panels, are you?" The voice was distinctly female.

"Not really," Joshua responded. After a moment, the dizziness vanished, and Joshua was able to get a better look at where he was.

The room itself was about the times the size of his cell, with about eight bunk beds in the room - two sets against each wall. There was a door in between two of the bunk beds marked with a toilet, obviously signifying the restroom. As for the rest of the space, there were two small, round tables set up with a few chairs around each. In the center of the room was a more ornately-carved chair, in which sat Archie, the leader of Team Aqua. Beside him stood a young woman with a shock of red hair and the Aqua uniform - the Admin Shelly, Archie's right hand.

Shelly's already present grin became wider when she noticed the spark of recognition in Joshua's eyes. "Perfect! We can skip the introductions. I wasn't planning on asking you for your name, anyway."

Archie gave Shelly a look, then shook his head, a small, almost unnoticeable smile appearing on his face for a moment.

"So, you're probably wondering why we pulled you out of your cozy little cell and brought you to ours," the Aqua member continued, ignoring her commander's look. "Archie, if you would?"

Joshua turned his gaze to Archie, who looked tired, and, at the same time, determined.

"We've been watching you and Cyrus for some time now," the Aqua Commander stated. "And we've been thinking about what to do its your...friend."

Joshua resisted the urge to run at Archie and fight to the death, even though he knew he couldn't have been able to last very long.

"You should know that we have decided not to do anything against you," Archie continued, noticing the teen's stiffening.

Joshua frowned. This statement seemed contradictory to anything Cyrus' followers had been told to do: arrest/stop rebels first, ask questions later. "What?"

Archie leaned forward in his chair. "You remind me of a particular otherworlder, one that I haven't been able to get out of my head since our last encounter."

Joshua became intrigued. "Me? Remind you of somebody?"

"You kids don't exactly go by unnoticed, you know," Shelly remarked. "The one that sticks out for both you and that other kid is your attitudes. You and him always seemed to be planning something."

_Well, then he and I are alike in one way,_ Joshua noted. _I'd better take advantage of this._ "Is there a specific reason you had me brought here?"

"The rebellion plan," Azumaril stated from behind Joshua. "We want in."

The teen almost jumped. "What?"

"You're not the only one who has ears, boy," Shelly stated.

Joshua realized what she was referring to. _The communicators! Archie and the others must have been listening in while Khrista and I conversed! I'm glad I warned her about speaking freely._

Noticing the restrained look of shock passing over Joshua's face, Shelly made a careless waving motion. "Don't think on it, kid. We're the only ones who use that system, anyway. The Galactics like their cameras."

Joshua relaxed - but only slightly. "So, how do you want to do this? Can I trust you, even?"

"Kid, if we even listened to Spiky, would I be talking to you?" Archie pointed out.

Joshua nodded. "I see your point. However, I still don't trust you fully."

The grunt who had brought Joshua chuckled. "Look at it this way: we broke loose the day you got here. A couple others said something about a "psychic interference" or something like that. When Spiky started having his sleep problem, out resistance got stronger, too, so we broke away pretty early on. Cyrus would've gotten rid of us except that we're good with Water-Types." He rubbed Azumaril's head between the ears.

"And those from my world aren't?"

"If they're not yelled at," the grunt responded. "If I speak anything short of an angry yell, it's like they're deaf."

"They may as well be, after your screams, Nick," Shelly muttered. She turned her gaze to Joshua. "Here's where you come in. There's a large amount of kids out there you probably recognize."

"If Charon lets me get close," Joshua replied. "You guys are the first real conversationalists I've had for some time." _Since Khrista left and Charon "reclaimed" my sisters._

"And your friend?" Azumaril asked. "The girl who escaped?"

Joshua smirked. "She's with friends of ours elsewhere. She'll be coming back."

Archie and Shelly exchanged glances.

When will she be coming back?" Nick inquired.

Joshua shrugged. "That was something we never discussed."

The Water Pokemon slapped himself in the face. "You really should have."

"Your friend has been gone for almost five days," Shelly growled. "You'd better be hoping that she's coming back."

"She will," Joshua answered. "I know it."

Archie gave him a curious look, but decided not to delve into the teen's thoughts any further. Instead, he asked, "Now do you trust us?"

Joshua frowned. _They certainly act like their normal selves, but how can I be sure that they actually are telling the truth? I'll have to test them. _"Not quite. I just want to make sure that you're actually free of his powers of persuasion, if you know what I mean."

Archie smirked. "You're getting to be more like that other kid than I thought," he remarked. "All right, then." He motioned to the corners of the room. "Galactics like to hide their cameras in corners. We put sound sensors in your new wall; those Galactics haven't been able to insert the cameras because of the storm starting up outside."

Joshua's eyebrows went up a little. "And that affects the cameras how?"

"Every fifteen minutes or so, electricity overloads the circuits of the cameras and burns out one or two of them," Shelly explained. "They've been replacing the ones in the hallways with newer cameras, and ignoring than the ones in your cells."

"And the sensors are different because..."

"We've got them running on a private circuit - one that those bumbling idiots can't mess up."

"Thus the reason why we confronted you, and not Charon," Nick added.

Joshua became interested at this notion, but he suppressed the urge to ask about the technological enhancements behind the idea. "And your Pokemon?"

"We were allowed to keep only one with us," Archie answered, his face darkening in anger. "Measly, weak Poocheyna." He showed Joshua the PokeBall the Dark-Type was held in.

"They wouldn't let you keep you keep your Mighteyna? Or your Sharpedo?"

"Not even my Carvanha," Shelly stated, miserable. "Cyrus claimed he'd done that to everybody equal, but I think it's because he doesn't want us to overpower him." She snorted. "I think I could overpower him just by wringing that neck of his!"

Joshua smirked. He had been waiting for one of the Aqua members to say Cyrus' name without any trouble, suddenly shutting up or otherwise. Nick's earlier statement had hinted at such a possibility, but Shelly's outburst definitely sealed the deal.

Archie caught sight of the teen's grin and smiled, as well. "How do you want to work us into this plan of yours?"

"For now, I want you guys to keep an eye on the other teens. If any of them manage to break away and don't fall back under, keep an eye on them. When - not if - the rebellion starts, you'll know." Joshua nodded to Shelly. "When the ruckus starts, I want you to release the Water-Types. _All_ the ones you can get your hands on."

Azumaril grinned hugely. "All right! Now we're talking. My brothers and I will have a grand ol' time demolishing this place from top to bottom!"

"Just make sure that you save parts of it for the other types," Joshua reminded the Pokemon. "You're not the only one who wants this place destroyed."

"Yeah, yeah."

"And your friend?" Archie asked.

"She's got her own agenda."

"I meant the Pokemon."

Joshua grinned sheepishly. "He wants those guys gone as much as the next Pokemon, but for different reasons." He placed his left hand on his left front pocket and fingered the PokeBall. "You wouldn't like them if you'd been separated from your mother by the Galactic goons."

Nick's eyes went down to Joshua's pocket momentarily, going back to the teen's face afterwards. "And how attached to his mother is this Pokemon?"

"Don't you still love your mother?"

The Aqua grunt frowned. "Well, sure. Who doesn't?"

"This Pokemon was still in his base form when he was separated," Joshua stated. "During the time afterwards, he evolved without her care. He wants to find his mother, and maybe find the guy who separated them in the first place."

"A large amount of Pokemon were separated," Shelly recalled. "Could you be more specific?"

"His name starts with a Z." Joshua glanced at Azumaril, taking note that the Water Rabbit's eyes had widened in recognition.

"If he's with you," the Pokemon stated, "then he's going to get to his tormenter a whole lot faster with that plan." He looked at Nick. "I bet the signal's that kid going loose."

Joshua nodded. "Keep your eyes and ears open," he stated. "I don't suppose you know Maxie's perspective on this?"

"Dead loyal," Archie replied flatly. "That brother of mine always agreed to disagree with me."

Joshua blinked in surprise, storing that knowledge away for another time. "And his followers?"

"The same."

"And yet there are some Rocket members who seem ready to break out in war cries at any moment," Khrista's cousin murmured. Raising his voice, he stated, "Steer clear of them if you're not doing so already."

Nick smirked. "Done and done, bud. Is that all you've got?"

"For now, yes," Joshua stated, fingering the PokeBall in his pocket.

" 'K, then, I'll take you back, kid. If you need any of us, we'll know."

Joshua knew that was supposed to be a comforting statement, yet he couldn't help but shudder a little at the thought of someone spying on him. He was definitely choosing his words more carefully the next time he wanted to speak.

"Right," the teen stated. "Better not let Charon get any ideas about where I am right now." He and Nick then left through the warp panel.


	40. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"Rayquaza, does Cresselia have any sisters?"

_"Of course she does,"_ Rayquaza responded as the two of them arrived in the cavern. _"Corza and the others are my siblings, remember?"_

Khrista nodded, recalling meeting the three Rayquaza the night before. "Do you know how many sisters she has?"

Rayquaza frowned as he floated in the center of the cavern, which was empty except for the two of them. _"I believe there are a total of six in the Cresselia family, but they're always adding more from somewhere. There are probably other 'families' of my species, too, but I've never run into them myself."_

"I guess that makes sense," Khrista remarked. "Back at home, someone had a whole team of Rayquaza." She smirked. "So, how are we going to tackle this?"

_"First, you really ought to activate your Dragon powers,"_ the Legendary responded. _"Then we can discuss teaching you Draco Meteor."_

Khrista nodded in agreement, the royal color once again appearing on her shirt. "So, how are we going to do this?"

_"First, I want you to clear your head of any thoughts of anything else that might be going on at the moment. Nothing about Cresselia or Joshua, except what I'm going to teach you."_

Khrista frowned, closing her eyes as she concentrated, storing away thoughts of what Joshua might be doing or what why she was capable of conversing with Pokemon in her dreamscape. She then focused on the animation sequences the games had shown of the Ultimate Dragon move, causing gamers to look on in awe and horror as the move crashed into its target.

Rayquaza took note of the smile tat appeared on Khrista's face and nodded in approval. _"Good, good. Now, begin to gather your dragon power within your chest. Don't rely on your eyes to know it's working - feel it in your heart."_

Khrista nodded absently, then lifted her arms to her chest and held them there almost like she were holding a sphere. At first, she felt no change concerning power, but after about half a minute of doing almost nothing but imagining that her Draco power was climbing in her chests she something - whether it was what Rayquaza wanted it not, she couldn't quite tell. She could sense that there was some sort of pressure that was increasing to the point of bursting her chest open, however.

Rayquaza's eyes widened when he realized that his Trainer's Dragon power was reaching its highest concentration. _"Release it now! Force it upward!"_

Khrista's arms straightened out above her head, palms facing upward. The teen could feel the power moving from her chest to her arms, then shooting up out of her body. As the power left Khrista, her curiosity got the better of her, and she looked up so that she could see what she was doing.

The bright orange ball of energy above her instantly exploded like a firework, raining down on the ground around Khrista in a protective sphere.

Rayquaza frowned. _"I haven't seen anything like that for some time,"_ he noted. _"The last Pokemon who used an attack like that was Jirachi."_

"Because he isn't a Dragon-Type?" Khrista guessed.

_"Yes, but also because he's a Legendary. All Legendaries can learn the Ultimate Dragon move - most just choose not to. If we're going to have you learn the true Dragon-Type variation, we're going to need more time."_

"Time we don't have," the teen responded. "They're expecting me to go back tomorrow - tonight, even." Khrista let out a sigh. "It seems as though we're going to have to cut this lesson short. And I was really looking forward to spending more time with you, too."

Rayquaza lowered his head to look Khrista in the eye with one of his own. _"You will, when all of this is over and done with. Trust me, everything we have taught you only scratches the surface. It would take a few months to train you properly, and that would be with Mew's help."_ The Dragon/Flying-Type looked Khrista over. _"In fact, you seem to be exhibiting the abilities of a Mew."_

Khrista frowned. "Me? A Mew? I find that rather hard to believe."

_"It would make the most sense. You have access to every Type, and you can access every - well, almost every - move in existence. When this whole thing blows over, she's going to be integral in your training."_

Khrista's eyes widened. "Yeah, you're right about that. It's pretty weird how that turned out." Her eyes went over to the scorch marks one the cave wall from her practice with Psycho Cut. "Then again, it does make sense - Elaine told me sometime ago that she wasn't able to do as much with her abilities as I can with mine."

"There you are!"

Khrista and Rayquaza turned to look at the cavern's entrance, where a familiar teenager Champion stood with a Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Hey, Red," Khrista greeted as the Kanto Trainer approached. Despite all appearances, she was as jittery and excited as a Jigglypuff getting a new microphone. "What's up?"

"The Professors want you to start packing ASAP," Pika explained. "They're suggesting so much communication gear that you might as well be a Metagross."

Khrista, quickly remembering something, removed a small device from her left ear. "Well, Joshua made this to allow us to communicate while we were in the tower, but I doubt that it'll work properly down here." She handed the device to Red, who looked it over for a moment before giving it back.

"You should let Green have a look at that," the Champion remarked. "She could probably do something in order to upgrade it. As for what else you can bring along..." Catching sight of the look on Rayquaza's face, Red stated, "Sorry, big guy, but Birch specifically said that she couldn't bring you along."

_"Why not?"_ Rayquaza asked, frowning and going back to his full height.

"Too big. Even if she did have your Master Ball, she wouldn't be able to let you out."

_"Hmmmph. But she can take a Pokemon with her."_

"So long as they behave," Pika amended. "They recommended you take some food along with, too."

Khrista nodded. "Okay. Let's see...definitely wouldn't be a good idea to go with a Legendary - the Professors are probably planning on using them for a frontal assault on the outer defenses." She looked at Red, who nodded in confirmation. "That means I have a choice from whatever Pokemon I've trained that aren't as big as a house." She looked at Rayquaza. "What do you think?"

The Hoenn Legendary blinked in surprise at the sudden question. _"Why not a Ghost or a Dark-Type?"_ he finally suggested. _"They'll be able to keep themselves hidden, unlike most other Types."_

"I thought only Ghost-Types could do that," Red remarked.

_"Why do you think Houndoom are referred to as messengers of death? The way they sneak up in you isn't just because they have soft feet. Both Ghost and Dark-Types are capable of using the shadows to their advantage."_

"They aren't called _Dark_-Types for nothing," Khrista noted. "If anything, I think I should go with either my Gengar or my Absol."

"You caught a Disaster Pokemon?" Red asked, intrigued.

"Well, sure," Khrista answered. "Professor Birch wanted all the Pokemon in the Hoenn region recorded in the PokeDex Syetem. Unfortunately, it only works if one catches the Pokemon. So, after I had left Fortree, the first Absol I ran into I caught." She started to walk out of the cavern. "Come on - let's see if Andrew is down here."

"You named him Andrew?" Pika asked, frowning.

"After a hurricane that had hit the East Coast of my home country, back on my world. I thought it seemed fitting."

The group made its way to the main cavern, where a large group of Trainers were working with their Pokemon in one-on-one skirmishes against each other. About a quarter of the Pokemon present had no Trainers with them, instead working on their abilities alone.

Khrista's eyes scanned the crowd, searching for one of her Pokemon so that she could ask the whereabouts of Andrew, who didn't seem to be present. Eventually, she caught sight of Swamp, who was working with a Youngster Trainer from Hoenn and a Mudkip.

"What are you guys working on?" Khrista asked as she approached the three.

"Muddy wanted some advice on moves," the Youngster explained.

"I really want to learn Mud Shot," the Mudkip explained.

"Well, Mud Shot is a move that a Marshtomp can learn, not a Mudkip," Khrista noted. "What moves do you know now?"

"Bide, Water Gun, Tackle, and Mud-Slap," Muddy listed. "I'm Level 16, now."

Khrista's gaze went to the Trainer, who had a confused look on his face. "Your Mudkip wants to evolve. Why haven't you let him?"

The Youngster seemed surprised, but then shook his head. "Muddy is my sister's, and she's insisted that he doesn't evolve unless she's nearby."

"And this girl's name is?" Swamp inquired.

"Maddie," Muddy stated. "I don't see what the problem is with her wanting to watch me evolve, though. She's watched it plenty of times before."

Khrista looked over at Swamp and realized the connection. "You and your sister came from my world, didn't you?"

"Your world?" the Youngster repeated, startled. "You mean, you're not from around here?"

Khrista shook her head. "I may as well be now, though. What's your name, kid?"

"James. I'm a Kanto and Jhoto Champion." The Youngster Trainer seemed proud of this achievement.

"Maddie's a Hoenn Trainer, but she's really more of a Coordinator," Muddy added.

"Uh-huh. How old is Maddie?" Khrista gave Swamp a glance that clearly said that she wanted to talk to him later.

"She's 11," James explained. "And she also got turned into a Torchic when we came over."

"There you guys are!"

The groups' head's turned as the aforementioned Torchic ran up to them. "I've been looking all over for you two! The Luminous Spring has been open for about an hour! If we hurry, we might be able to make it before it closes again!"

Muddy let out a whoop. "What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" He promptly dashed off, Maddie right behind him.

James let out a sigh. "Those two had better make sure they've dropped their lucky Everstones before doing that evolving thing."

Khrista gave him an odd look. "You sound older than you look," she noted.

James shrugged. "My Avatar in the games look like this, so I guess it affected my real appearance, too." He frowned. "Who are you, anyway?"

"The name's Khrista," Khrista responded coolly. "I'm a Champ in all the regions. Do you happen to specialize in any specific Pokemon Types?"

"I like the Electric-Types, but the Dragons are pretty cool, too." James sent a look at Swamp. "I can't understand a lot of their language yet, but from what it sounds like, that Swampert's yours, isn't he?"

Swamp nodded in confirmation as Khrista clarified, "Swamp was my first Pokemon, and he's among my strongest. Rayquaza's right up there with him, too."

Pika cleared his throat. "Khrista, we've got to find your Absol, remember?"

Khrista jumped at the sound of the Pikachu's voice. "Right. Sorry about that - I got a little sidetracked."

"You're looking for Andrew?" Swamp asked.

Khrista nodded. "I figured he might be of some help when I'm sent back up."

"I can see how he would be of good use, if he were available. The Professors use whatever Absols are free in order to keep an eye out for any sort of invasion."

Khrista let out a sigh of annoyance. "Great. I was hoping to bring along a Pokemon that could blend in and hide - or at least be almost unnoticeable."

James frowned, then his eyes widened. "You're that Trainer who escaped from the Tower, aren't you?" Upon receiving a nod in return from the teen, the Youngster grinned. "Maybe you should take an Electric-Type instead. They could be very helpful in making stuff go haywire."

Pika grinned, nodding vigorously in agreement. "Especially if the Pokemon is powerful."

Khrista exchanged glances with Swamp, who seemed to know exactly what the teen was thinking.

"Raichu is back in the Underground with her family," Swamp explained.

"Well, if she doesn't want to tag along, I can always hunt down Jolt," Khrista remarked. "If Mist is willing to part with her uncle, that is."

"It's all for a good cause," Red responded. His eyes went over to James, who seemed to have noticed who was there with Knrista. "Have you tried to make it up Mt. Silver yet?"

"I was about to battle whoever was up there when Maddie and I were taken," James responded.

Khrista smirked. "James, meet Red, the official Kanto Champion, and the kid you found at the top of Mt. Silver."

James' eyes widened. "You have got to be kidding me."

"She isn't," Red replied. "If you want to fight me, though, you'll have to wait until after we've beaten the pulp out of Cyrus."

James nodded, a grin appearing on his face. "In that case, I'd better go train. Good luck finding that Electric-Type!" With that, the Trainer took off into the crowd, searching for someone to battle.

Khrista looked over at Swamp. "Do you want to come along and look for them?"

Swamp shook his head. "I should be helping Misty and the other Water Trainers, but Muddy pulled me to one side because of his evolution problem. Raichu and Jolt should be both very easy to find."

Khrista nodded. "All right, then." She grinned at Red. "Race ya to the Underground!"

"Oh, you're on," Red answered, a grin on his face, the two took off for the tunnels instantly, leaving Rayquaza and Swamp behind.


	41. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Cyrus let out an impromptu yawn as the screen in front of him flickered on and a mustachioed face appeared on it.

::_Sleeping trouble?::_ asked the figure on the screen, causing Cyrus to jump a little.

"You have no idea," Cyrus replied dryly. "Something's come up."

::_It doesn't involve that brat, does it?::_

"No - the Red Chain still operated. It's something else." Cyrus frowned slightly. "You don't look so well yourself."

_::I have my own headaches to worry about. What of our project?::_

"It was destroyed during its last run. Some Pokemon's meddling, no doubt."

The figure on the screen frowned. ::_Hmmm. And the child who went through?::_

Cyrus let out an annoyed sigh. "She managed to escape with two Pokemon. The only other person who might know of her whereabouts hasn't revealed anything, but we have him under guard at all times."

_::That isn't going to help. If this boy is anything like my rat infestation, he won't say anything unless he thinks he isn't being watched::_

"The child is more perceptive than we ever could have realized, Ivan. He found all of the cameras in his cell and fed them a loop of constant wailing."

Ivan seemed surprised at this. ::_How old is this boy?::_

"Mid-teens is my guess."

_::Next chance you get, send him my way. I could use a child with knowledge like that::_ Ivan stroked his mustache. ::_Yes. I need some new ideas for combating that rodent::_ The screen promptly winked out, leaving Cyrus alone in the dark. At least, one would think he was alone.

_"That man will never truly be your friend, Cyrus,"_ a sinister voice whispered. _"He will betray you the first chance he gets, which may as well be soon, considering how much rest you are actually getting."_

Cyrus let out an involuntary shudder, something he hadn't done since he was a boy. "Not unless I betray him first," he muttered.

_"There are many rumors surrounding this 'Ivan,' little fool. While he may be from another world, there are some Pokemon who have said he's been in that war of his for over ten years. You haven't been ruling this world for very long, and you got it the easy way. What does that tell you?"_

Cyrus got up from his seat and stepped onto the warp panel, reappearing in his office as he did his best to ignore the voice.

_"I am not to be gotten rid of as nothing more than a bad dream, Cyrus,"_ the voice hissed.

"Then when will you leave me in peace?" the Galactic leader responded, his eyes scanning the room for the voice's source.

_"When you give up your plans and this silly charade. There was never a chance of your succeeding in the first place - surely your interaction with _her_ on Mt. Coronet showed that."_

Cyrus flinched at the mentioning of the mysterious Trainer Darkrai was referring to. "Keep her out of this. That girl is nothing to me."

_"Perhaps not now, but there are others who would be more than willing to take her place as your adversary."_

Cyrus' eyes moved to the filing cabinets, and he leapt at them as a shadow disappeared behind them. He threw the drawers all over the room, making a large mess as papers scattered. The shadow continued to move around, and Cyrus continued to chase it, making even more of a mess as he was trying to capture the figure, by the time the chador had disappeared, the office looked like a Pokemon had set off a Whirlwind and thrown a Razor Wind in as a bonus.

The voice chuckled sinister lay. _"You won't find Cresselia that way."_

"Then where?!" Cyrus demanded.

_"Not here. Perhaps sleep will help you."_

Something hit Cyrus in the back of the head, and he instantly collapsed, falling into the clutches of another nightmare.


	42. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"You want me to go in there with you and cause havoc?"

Khrista nodded, a smile on her face. "Do you want to?"

Raichu was surprised by this question. "Want to? Does a Pidgeot fly? This sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime!" She looked at Sparkler, Bolt, and Volt. "What do you think?"

Her mate frowned for a moment, a Sitrus Berry in one paw. "I've got one condition to add to that plan of yours," he finally stated.

"And what's that?" Khrista inquired.

"You take not only me, but the kids along with you."

Bolt and Volt grinned at each other, then look up at Khrista expectantly as the Trainer's eyes widened.

Khrista let out a sigh as her eyes scanned the Square, where Trainers and Pokemon alike were eating lunch. "I don't know, guys. I was planning on only bringing along one Pokemon."

"Well, those are the terms," Sparkler responded boldly. "You can take it or leave it."

Pika, who happened to be sitting nearby, called out, "Take it, Khrista. This is a perfect opportunity for you to bond with them."

"Well, sure, but I don't have the PokeBalls for any of them." Khrista looked at Red's Electric-Type. "You wouldn't happen to know where they would be, would you?"

When Pika shook his head in response, Bolt stated, "The Professors have been keeping them under lock and key, just in case anyone might try to steal them."

"Under lock and key where?" Khrista inquired.

Bolt shrugged. "Somewhere in their lab. I haven't really bothered to ask them where specifically."

"Now would be a good time, then," the teen noted. "Come on - we can go ask Professor Birch about it." Leaving the Pokemon to decide whether or not they were going to follow her, Khrista made her way through the Square over to where the Professors were eating lunch together.

Oak took note of Khrista's approach, and waved in greeting. "Hello there! What seems to be the trouble?"

"It concerns Pokemon transport," Khrista responded. "I've been considering bringing a Pokemon along with me, just to help with any inner chaos and destruction. A family of four Electric-Types wants me to take all of them. Problem is, I have no idea where their PokeBalls are kept, which makes me feel like a bit of a clumsy, forgetful Trainer."

"You're not forgetful," Birch replied, "and I certainly you'd suspect that you're clumsy. We just happen to be a bit overprotective. We've got your PokeBalls in the lab under lock and key." He peered around her and caught sight of the two Raichu and the Pikachu who were approaching. "Your Pokemon have certainly been busy," he noted.

"A lot of us ended up doing that whenever we weren't on her team," Sparkler responded. "We're the only pair who have kids who've learned moves they can't normally."

"Fly for me, Surf for her," Bolt stated, motioning to himself and Volt. "Dad taught us Volt Tackle, too."

"These two decided to go and live in Yellow Forest for a little while," Khrista explained dryly. "Now, about the PokeBalls..."

"Oh! Right," Birch got up from the picnic table. "I'll take care of that for you." The group (which now consisted of the four Pokemon, Khrista, and Professor Birch), made their way through the Square and over to the Professor's building.

As they stepped inside, Khrista suddenly bent forward as weight accumulated on her back.

Raichu's head appeared on Khrista's right shoulder, Sparkler's appearing a moment later to the teen's left.

"Sorry," Sparkler said with a sheepish grin. "It's just been so long since we last did this."

"Oh, you two," Khrista murmured in mock scolding. "You can act like Pichu sometimes!" She felt more weight come down on her back, and Volt was looking at the teen from a perch on the Trainer's head.

"No fair! I wanted that spot!" Bolt complained, climbing up Khrista's shirt. The teen couldn't help but feel surprised at the sharp claws the Pikachu had.

"You can always sit on her shoulder like Mom and Dad used to," Volt responded.

"That's going to throw me off balance," Khrista warned. "I've already got your parents on my shoulders and you on my head. If Bolt added weight to either one of my shoulders, I'm going to topple over."

Bolt let out an annoyed sigh. "Next time, Sis, you're walking." He jumped off Khrista's chest, while Prof. Birch watched all this with amusement.

"So, where are the PokeBalls?" Khrista asked, shifting her weight slowly from foot to foot in order to get a new sense of balance.

"Right over here," Birch replied, motioning to a door that was steel that had been painted blue. "We have them arranged according to Trainer, and then according to Type and power." The Hoenn Professor removed a ring of keys from a pocket in his lab coat, choosing a small key and placing it in a comically large keyhole in the center of the door. There was a loud clank as the locking mechanism unlocked.

Birch pushed the door open, revealing a large room, which the group was blocked off from by walls of glass. Beyond said glass, there were shelves upon shelves of PokeBalls.

"Just use the computer there to find the PokeBalls you're looking for," Birch explained, nodding to the device on their side of the glass. "They'll be teleported here automatically."

"Thanks," Khrista stated, nodding to the professor as she walked into the room with her load, which Bolt had managed to join by holding onto his Trainer's left leg. Upon reaching the computer, the group jumped off, allowing Khrista to have a little more free movement.

"That's a lot of PokeBalls," Bolt noted, his nose to the glass.

"It's also a lot of Trainers," Khrista responded, looking at the computer screen. "I mean, I've got three book shelves, and there's somebody else who managed to lay claim to five of them." She typed "Electric-Types" in the search bar and came up with a list of her own Pokemon. "Let's see..." Quickly, she clicked on four of the names there. "They should be coming through in a few minutes."

Off in a far corner of the room, four lights shot up into the ceiling. A moment later, four PokeBalls appeared in some sort of dispensing machine right next to the computer.

As Khrista picked up the PokeBalls and examined each in turn, Raichu remarked, "This room looks a lot bigger than the building does outside."

"It could be a hologram of some sort of storage room," Sparkler suggested.

"Or, Palkia made a room that gave more space but takes up less than that," Birch remarked from the doorway. "He did it before Cyrus came back."

"I thought as much," Khrista remarked. She then frowned. "Wait - he made the room?"

"He set up this whole place with Dialga's help," the Hoenn Professor explained. "They had known something was up, but they couldn't quite place what was about to happen."

"So, they didn't know when he was coming, but they did have an estimation," Khrista guessed.

"I guess you could say that." Birch took note of the four spheres in Khrista's hands. "So, you found what you needed?"

Khrista nodded, a look of slightly repressed excitement on her face. "I kinda want to test them out, but I'm a little nervous. Plus, despite the fact that I'm an experienced Trainer, I..."

"You don't really know how to use one," Birch finished. "Relax. I'll give you a quick lesson right now." He chose one of the PokeBalls Khrista had picked up, motioning for the teen to put the rest elsewhere, which happened to be the pockets Khrista had available to her in her jeans. She held onto one herself, so that she could mimic what the professor was doing.

"First, let's figure out who owns which one of these," Birch remarked. "Just point the PokeBall in their general direction and say 'return.' Like this." The Hoenn professor pointed the PokeBall he held at the Electric-Type and stated, "Return."

Although it were expected, Khrista watched calmly as Sparkler turned nto a red bean of light and disappeared into the sphere.

Khrista nodded upon seeing the example, then held out her own sphere and stated, "Return," delighted to find that she had chosen Raichu's PokeBall. Turning to look at Birch, she said, "Okay; now I toss the PokeBall to let her out, right?"

Birch nodded. "Like so." He tossed Sparkler's PokeBall into the air in front of him, and the Electric-Type popped one in a flash of light. Khrista then mimicked the Professor's toss, Raichu coming out in the same manner.

"Keep practicing," the Hoenn professor told her. "I'm going to get something for you to carry those PokeBalls for you." He dashed up the stairs and returned a moment later with a belt that looked like it had been designed to carry PokeBalls, as well as a red backpack. "Put these on," Birch said in a commanding manner.

Khrista nodded and, after putting down the PokeBalls she had been holding, took the belt and put it on. "Huh. Perfect fit," she noted as she threw the backpack over one shoulder.

"Those had been Sapphire's, before she decided to leave behind the whole idea of PokeBalls and items bought in PokeMarts," Birch explained. "All the other belts I have were made for boys."

"Figures. Boys were the first to really become Trainers," Khrista remarked. She then clipped her PokeBalls to the belt, muttering the order she had chosen. "Raichu, Sparkler, Bolt, Volt." After giving a quick nod to the Electric-Types, Khrista turned to look at Birch. "All right, then. Now, do you know where I can find Green?"


	43. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Joshua was doing one-armed push-ups when Butch looked in to check on what the teen was busy with.

"Is that all you've been doing this past few hours?" the ex-Rocket grunt asked, curious.

"Pretty much," Joshua grunted in reply. "It beats sitting and being bored to death." It also gave him a cover for thinking his plan over, but he wasn't about to tell Butch that.

"Oh. Uh...how many have you done?"

Joshua let out a final grunt as he pushed away from the ground and situated himself in a sitting position on the floor. "150."

Butch couldn't help but wonder if the kid needed something else to keep him busy. "Is this all you do in a day?"

"Beats being a puppet." Joshua got up from the floor. "Any reason why you're interrupting my time alone? Does Charon want me to run a couple laps again?"

Butch shook his head. "Charon doesn't want you to leave your cell at all."

"Then...why bother me?" Joshua moved over to one of the bunkbeds and started to climb into the upper bunk.

"Rumor has it something big's gonna happen."

"What sort of something?" Joshua hoisted himself up onto the bed and sat there Indian-style.

Butch glanced about quickly, peered into the hallway, then quietly stated, "Something about a rebellion."

Joshua kept a straight face, trying to be careful not to give anything away. "A rebellion? I doubt that Cyrus would let that slide."

"He's spent a lot of his time making a mess of his office. I haven't been there, but Cassidy had, she told me it looked like a Pidgeot and a Fearow had been throwing Whirlwinds at each other."

_Hmmm...the nightmares must be affecting Cyrus' time awake as well as his time asleep,_ Joshua noted. _Darkrai must be trying to break him._

"Maybe he wants his office to get a makeover," the teen suggested.

Butch shook his head. "He would have ordered us to start working on the new design. This is something borderline-crazy."

Joshua gave Butch a bored look. "And why are you telling me this?"

"Because the Pokemon are becoming antsy." Butch shifted his weight, leaning to his left as most of his weight went above his leg as he crossed his arms. "I don't know exactly what they heard, but they've all said that 'the reign is over' or something like that."

Joshua raised an eyebrow at this. "If the Pokemon sense something, then there is either a great miracle or a great disaster on the horizon." Upon seeing the look of surprise on the ex-Rocket grunt's face, the teen stated, "You remember that incident that took place in the Orange islands, right? How the Pokemon congregated as close as they could get because of the whole problem with the Bird Trio?"

Butch nodded slightly. "Yeah. Raticate was acting kinda weird when the Northern Lights showed up that far south."

"They probably know when any sort of change in nature is going to take place," Joshua explained. _I wonder how they're able to tell in a place like this. Is it like my ability?_

"Do you think they know what it is specifically?" Butch inquired.

"...there's a small chance, but I wouldn't count on it."

Butch nodded, then glanced at the door. "Gotta go. The new sentry's probably been waiting for the past five minutes." Before Joshua could say anything, the ex-Rocket member slipped out of the cell. A moment later, the new "sentry" appeared, and Joshua figured out why Butch had been so quick to leave.

The new guard was a Magma grunt.


	44. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"I can't really do anything with this," Green remarked, looking over the device Joshua had thrown together.

"Why not?" Khrista asked, frowning.

"Because I would need both of the communicators in order to upgrade one of them." The Kanto Trainer gave the device back to Khrista, who put it back in her left ear. "You're probably going to have to take a communicator from down here with you when you head back up."

Khrista sighed. "Great. I was really hoping to have to carry less. Is there anything that's available that I won't have to carry with my hands?"

Green thought for a moment, then dug into the satchel she was carrying. "This'll probably do," she remarked, handing Khrista an object.

Khrista lifted up the object, revealing that it was a Mew-shaped pendant on a chain. "This is something I can communicate with?"

"It's something I made some time ago," the Kanto Trainer explained. "It lets the user set up a psychic link with whoever has the other necklace." Green pulled an identical necklace from her bag. "I know you're part Pokemon and all that, but I think it would be good if you had something to channel the power."

"I guess it could be of some use," Khrista admitted. "I can't help but wonder, though - what did you use to make this?"

"I used a couple spoons of destiny that I managed to get away from Red and Yellow," Green explained. "Then, I got Mew to mess around with the silverware's psychic power, and I got them molded."

"You got Mew to help you?"

The Kanto Trainer nodded. "It wanted to do something like that, anyway - find out whether or not humans actually have the capabilities of telepathy." She smirked. "Now, are you going to put it on or not?"

Khrista gave the pendant another look, running her fingers along the metalwork. "I don't know if this is even going to work. I mean, I basically have the DNA of a Mew, and this is meant for humans, not Pokemon." She was about to give it back, only to pause. "You know, Joshua probably could have a use for this."

"That's your cousin, right?" Green guessed.

Khrista nodded. "He's pretty much normal as far as I know."

The Kanto Trainer frowned slightly. "Seeing as you aren't exactly normal, that might not work, either." She snatched the pendant from Khrista's hand and replaced it with a device that looked a lot like what Joshua had built, only a bit more high tech. "This guy is already set to a private channel that I run down here." She tapped her left ear, most likely where her communicator was located. "You're going to have to take out the other one, though. Two in one ear isn't recommended."

"Yeah," Khrista agreed, removing Joshua's invention. "No room in there." She placed the thrown-together device in a jeans pocket, then put Green's decide in her left ear. "So, is there anything in particular that I need to do in order to use this?"

"You'll get to listen in on us automatically," Green responded. "If you want to talk to me, just press your ear." She looked Khrista over. "So, do you have everything you need?"

"I'm pretty sure that I do," Khrista responded. "I'm going to have to get a few items, just in care Raichu and the others get hurt for one reason or another. You have any idea as to where I might find stuff like that?"

"I think you'll find what you need in that Guild the Pokemon have been running." Green pointed in the directness of the stone huts. "They're somewhere over there."

"O.K., then. Do you have any idea of what I'm going to be looking for?"

The Kanto Trainer shook her head. "Humans don't really spend too much time there for one reason or another. Most of the Pokemon appreciate the privacy, because they're trying to raise families down here.

"I guess that makes sense," Khrista admitted. "Thanks for the tips, Green."

"No problem," Green responded with a smile. "Now, you'd better get going if your going to get everything you need."

"Right," Khrista agreed. She turned and trotted out of the Square, heading into the rows of stone huts the Pokemon called home.

As Khrista slowed to a walk, she decided to have a look around the huts. The small streets between the stone buildings were empty, but there were no doors on them, allowing a passerby to glance inside. As she passed by, Khrista could see different families of Pokemon gathered around, conversing quietly, the younger Pokemon's eyes wide with anticipation and fear. Other huts were empty, the Pokemon that inhabited them spending time elsewhere.

"Hey, Khrista!"

The teen turned her head in the direction of the voice, catching sight of Mist and Grace running toward her.

"Hey, guys," the teen greeted.

"What are you doing around here?" Grace inquired.

"I'm trying to get to the Pokemon Exploration Guild, but I'm not exactly sure of where I'm going," Khrista admitted.

"I know where it is," Mist responded. "Mom took me there for training not long after it was built." She bounded over to an intersection. "It's right over here - come on!"

Khrista and Grace followed the shiny Eevee around the corner, looking in surprise at the arch that appeared in front of them.

Khrista let out a whistle. "Quite the setup they've got here," she noted.

"It has to be, what with all the Teams we've got up and running," Grace remarked. "Come on - maybe me of the shops has what you're looking for."

The three walked through the arch and into Treasure Town, Khrista taking in all the sights and smells that came out of some of the market booths. She also took note of the looks she was getting from the Pokemon that were passing by. The teen glanced down at her shirt - which had changed back to the plain red with the Master Ball graphic - then realized that it probably wasn't the shirt they were staring at. It was the fact that she was a human, walking through Treasure Town like she was a Pokemon herself.

"Kanga probably has what you're looking for," Grace remarked, leading Khrista over to a gigantic kangaroo-shaped booth. "Kanga! Are you there?"

A Khangaskhan looked up from behind the counter, a joey in her pouch. "Why, hello, Grace and Mist. What brings you here?"

"We need a few items for Khrista," Mist explained, motioning to the human beside her.

Kanga looked surprised. "Items for a human? I'm afraid I don't store those."

"Technically, they're for my Pokemon," Khrista responded. "I'm going to be heading out tomorrow. And I won't have access to any Pokemon Centers of PokeMarts."

"Ah...I see." Kanga let out a sigh. "I probably won't be able to help you in that instance, wither. Unless you happen to have a storage space here already - which I highly doubt."

Khrista frowned, thinking back to the games she had played over the years. "You wouldn't happen to have a space reserved for a Pikachu named Kristallia, would you?"

Kanga gave Khrista a curious look. "I might," she finally stated. "Why?"

"I played a game much like the Trainer ones, only I was a Pokemon," Khrista explained. "It was during the whole 'Kyogre and Groudon are going on a rampage and destroying everything' problem."

"You were a part of the group that came from the other world?" Kanga asked, surprised. Upon seeing Khrista nod, the Pokemon quickly turned to look at the shelves of boxes located behind her. "Let's see... Here we are!" She turned around, dropping a box on the counter, a cloud of dust rising from the storage device. "You're going to be looking for Oran and Sitrus Berries, a few Max Elixirs, and Reviver and Heal Seeds, correct?"

Khrista nodded. "I'm going to be bringing four Pokemon with me, so I should think that at least four of everything, with eight of each of the Reviver and Heal seeds."

Kanga nodded as she went through the box's contents. "It looks like you only have two Sitrus Berries left," she noted, "and...six Heal Seeds. There is enough of everything else, however."

"That's fine," Khrista responded. "It should be enough." She slipped her red backpack off her back, placing the items on the counter inside. "Thanks for holding onto this stuff."

"It's the least I could do," Kanga responded. "Good luck up there - you'd going to need it." She then took the box and put it back in its place. "You kids had better get going - all of Treasure Town is buzzing with excitement, and I'm probably going to get swamped with returning Teams who want me to store almost everything they've found today."

Khrsita nodded. "I'd probably be doing the same, if I were in their situation - they're no use being unprepared. Again, thanks for the help."

"It's what I do."

As Khrista and the two Eevee left Treasure Town, Mist asked, "Who are you taking with you?"

"Raichu's family," Khrista responded. "Her, Sparkler, Bolt, and Volt." She smirked. "I was planning on taking only Raichu, but Sparkler insisted that I bring everybody else."

"You're Volt's Trainer?" Grace asked. Upon seeing the teen nod, she said, "Lucky."

"It's not me who's lucky," Khrista corrected. "It's their parents. Somehow, Raichu and Sparkler had the right combination to bring Volt and her flying brother into the world." She let out a sigh. "Sparkler probably wants me to bring them along so that they can get more battle experience."

Mist gave Khrista an annoyed look. "Why not me?"

"I don't think Glacier would want you to head out anywhere at this point," the teen responded. "Besides, Raichu and the others could easily overcharge a lot of the stuff Cyrus has up there."

"Hmph. I can help in other ways."

"And I'm sure you can." Khrista looked down at the Eevee, taking note of the unhappy look on her face. "Look, if you go and ask your parents, and they say yes, you can come along. All right?"

Mist nodded. "All right. I'm gonna hold you to that." She turned and bounded into the huts, looking for her parents.

Khrista's gaze went over to Grace. "So, have you decided on what Eeveelution you want to be yet?"

Grace shook her head. "I've got it narrowed down to Vaproeon, Espeon, and Glaceon, but I can't decide between those three. And then there's Umbreon, but that doesn't look all that cool, even though it has the fewest weaknesses of the seven."

"Well, you're big sister's an Espeon, right?"

Grace nodded. "That's right. Eliza always liked the whole 'moving stuff with your mind' thing."

What Grace said struck Khrista with an idea. "What do you like to do?" she asked as they arrived back in the Square.

"What do I like to do?" Grace repeated, confused.

"Maybe I should reword that... What do you want to be able to do?"

Grace frowned as she tried to gather her thoughts together. "I would like to be able to fly be myself," she finally admitted. "It gets to be annoying when you have to rely on other Pokemon to travel from place to place." The Eevee let out a sigh. "But there isn't an Eeveelution that focuses on the Flying-Type."

"There might be," Khrista pointed out. "The professors just haven't discovered it yet."

"You really think so?"

"Eevee are known to be capable of adapting to each and every situation thrown at them," the teen reminded the Pokemon. "I'd find it highly possible that an Eevee could sprout wings and fly."

Grace became excited. "All right!" She started to jump about excitedly, only to frown. "But, what are the conditions I've got to meet?"

Khrista frowned, as well. "Well, friendship in any instance won't work so it'll have to be a trade or maybe one of the stones... A Dawn or a Shiny Stone would be my guess."

"How would I do a trade?"

"Exploration Teams have a special item for it. I think it's called a Cable Box... Your sister would ow about this sort of thing better than I would."

Grace nodded. "Yeah. I'll go ask her about it. Thanks, Khrista!"

"It wasn't a problem."

As the Eevee took off for the huts, Khrista's eyes scanned the Square, searching for something else that she could do. Upon finding nothing of interest - and no one to talk to - she walked over to an empty picnic table and sat down, taking off her backpack and putting it on the table. The teen then allowed her thoughts to wander, wondering what she was going to do once she was inside Cyrus' tower. Obviously,because she had managed to escape, security was going to be a lot tighter than it had been when she was in there. One wrong move, and she could be worse than dead with a snap of her fingers. And then there was the problem of finding her way around. Team Galactic didn't very well hand out maps to intruders - like in the games, she had to find her way around on her own.

_"Hey, Khrista!"_

The teen's eyes shot over to the center of the Square, widening in surprise upon seeing who it was that had called her name.

"Victini?" she asked, getting up from the picnic table as the little Legendary approached.

_"That's me!"_ the Fire/Psychic-Type confirmed. He grinned hugely. _"I've really wanted to meet you for a while, Khrista."_

"You have?" Khrista couldn't help but feel a little bewildered at this.

Victini nodded. _"A human Legendary like you truly is one-of-a-kind. I doubt that even Arceus even saw it coming."_

"Oh. Well, Uxie probably figured something like this was going to happen."

Victini shrugged. _"He said that there was a slim chance - he figured that your body would only choose one specific element, not all of them."_ He floated around the teen. _"Can you do two Types at once?"_

Khrista shook her head. "I don't know if I can, or even if it's a good idea. If I can, I won't be able to figure it out until after Cyrus has been taken out."

_"Yeah...you don't have much time left, do you?"_

"No; I think the Professors are hoping that I leave tonight. Personally, I agree - the sooner we get this done, the better."

Victini nodded in agreement. _"Yeah - this place really is starting to get dull and boring - I wouldn't mind being able to see the sun again."_

The determined look on Khrista's face faltered slightly. "Yeah...it had been a while..." She let out a sigh. "I can't help but wonder what my parents are doing right now. They're probably worried sick about me."

Victini looked concerned. _"Aren't you old enough to live by yourself?"_

"I'm 16, Victini. I'll be able to leave my home and live on my own legally in two years." Khrista let out another sigh. "I'm the only kid in my family, too, so they can't really worry about anyone else."

Victini cocked his head to one side, a curious look on his face that Khrista couldn't help but smile at. The little Legendary looked absolutely adorable. _"Hmmm... Maybe Uxie can put something together to send you guys home. I wouldn't out it past him to be able to cook something up like that."_

Khrista perked up like this. "You think so?"

Victini nodded. _"He wouldn't just toss a challenge like that."_

"There you are!" Khrista's and Victini's heads turned, catching sight of Raichu, Sparkler, Bolt, and Volt as they approached.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd left already," Raichu remarked as they reached the picnic table.

"No way was I going to leave without you guys," Khrista responded with a quick smile. "Are you guys ready to go?" She grabbed her backpack and threw a strap over one shoulder.

"Not quite," Sparkler answered. "We should let the professors know we're heading out first."

The teen nodded. "Yeah; you're right. Come on; let's go tell them before anyone else finds out and tries to get us to stay any longer than we should." She started to make her way over to the lab, the Pokemon in pursuit. Upon reaching the building, Khrista exchanged glances with the Pokemon, then opened the door.

"Professor Birch?" she called out as the group stepped into the lab.

The Hoenn Professor looked up from a binder that looked like it was full of photos. "Hello, Khrista. Is anything the matter?"

"Nothing's wrong," the teen responded. "Just popped by to get you know that we're ready to go."

"Really?" Birch came over. "In that case, I've got a message from the Lake Sprits for you."

"Why couldn't they tell us themselves?" Bolt asked.

"They said they needed to iron things out with Ho-Oh and probably wouldn't be back until after you'd left," the Hoenn Professor explained.

"Ah," Khrista stated, nodding. "So, what did that want to tell us?"

"It concerns Cyrus," Birch explained. "For the past few days, the Trio have been sensing a lot of Dark-Type tinted nightmares from the top of the tower. They think that Darkrai might be having a bit too much fun driving Cyrus insane."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Khrista asked. " 'Cause I'm thinking that the less stability he has, the less stability the rest of the place has."

"It's doing nothing to help or hinder them. The only thing that really slowed them down is when he affected one other person - a scientist. Uxie wants you to, when you head n there, hunt down Darkrai and get him to start affecting everybody else."

Khrista nodded. "Right. I'll find him."

"And another thing." Birch moved over to a corner of the lab and returned a moment later with a red device. "You're going to need this."

Khrista accepted the device and looked it over. "Is this a PokeDex?"

"Not just and PokeDex," Birch replied with a twinkle in his eye. "It's the same one you received from me at the start of your journey, albeit a little...upgraded."

Khrista flipped open the device and fumbled around from the "on" switch, after which she discovered that, much to her delight, all of the Pokemon she had caught were recorded there.

The teen grinned. "Awesome."

"You can use it to keep an eye on your Pokemon's health and ability to use certain moves," the Hoenn professor explained. "Make sure that it doesn't leave your sight, either a Team Galactic doesn't know as much as we do about Pokemon species, and I'm pretty certain that there are some we still don't know about, either."

Khrista nodded. "Yeah - I was just talking with Grace about the undiscovered Flying-Type Eeveelution. I haven't seen it, but I'm pretty sure that Grace could find it, if she really wants to become one."

"She wants to fly that badly, huh?"

"I should think so." Khrista slipped the PokeDex into her backpack. "So, are you going to make sure that everyone else knows where I've gone?"

"Only those who really should know," the Hoenn professor responded. "Any Pokemon in particular?"

"Swamp and Mewtwo," Raichu stated. "They'll get the news to everybody else."

"They're probably on Mt. Coronet, helping other Pokemon train," Sparkler added.

Birch nodded. "Right. Now get going! I don't want to hold you up for any longer than you've stayed."

Khrista smiled in agreement. "I'll be seeing you and everybody else later, then, make sure everybody's ready to kick Team Galactic into next week."

"I think Rayquaza's gonna knock them into the next decade," Volt stated with a smirk.

"Well, we'll leave something for him, then," Khrista remarked. The teen nodded to Victini. "You'd better keep everybody's energy up - if we're to win this, everybody on our side has got to be fired up."

Victini grinned. _"Not even the Snorlax will sleep because of the energy they feel!"_ He gave the Trainer a mock salute, then flew out the still-open door.

Khrista then nodded to the four Electric-Types present. "All right, guys. I don't want to get too much attention when we head in there."

The Pokemon nodded in agreement, then retreated into their respective PokeBalls, which were still on Khrista's belt. After a quick nod to Prof. Birch in farewell, the teen stepped out of the building...

...and almost bumped into a woman.

Khrista blinked in surprise, stopping her movement before she could bump into the figure accidentally. The teen's eyes quickly scanned the woman as the stranger did the same to Khrista.

"Mrs. Ketchum?" Khrista guessed softly after taking note of the woman's appearence.

The woman looked at her sharply, brown eyes filled its surprise and suspicion. "How do you know who I am?"

"I'm from that other world," Khrista explained. "You didn't show up all that often in the TV show, but I'd know who you are anywhere."

Mrs. Ketchum was flattered by this, then frowned. "You came from that other world?" Upon seeing Khrsita nod in confirmation, she asked, "You wouldn't happen to be the child who came from...up there, would you?"

Khrista nodded a second time. "My name's Khrista. My cousin Joshua's Pokemon, Alak and Gangrene, got me out of there right under the Galactics' noses."

Mrs. K took ahold of Khrista's shoulders. "Tell me - have you seen my son?" Upon seeing Khrista nod again, she demanded, "Is there any hope if him being rescued?"

Khrista was a little startled by this question, but she shook it off and answered, "Ash is doing well, considering his situation. And yes, there is a possibility that he can be rescued. The Red Chain had been built to enslave Pokemon, not humans - it doesn't work completely on Ash."

Mrs. K's eyes widened. "It doesn't?"

Khrista shook her head. "At night, he can travel into other people's dreams - give them nightmares, scare them into doing different things, etc. I actually met him officially that way - him being forced to hunt me down after I got here doesn't count." The teen smirked. "Plus, if you say his name often enough in a day, the chain breaks its hold on his for a little bit."

Mrs. K gave Khrista a nervous smile. "Do you think that will rescue him?"

"I'm not completely sure... Rayquaza _did_ rescue Giratina from his bonds by accidentally slashing it, so we could do the same with Ash. It's going to be tricky, though - Giratina, from what I've gathered, was entrapped in a copy of the real deal, which Ash is stuck in. An attack that's much more powerful than a basic attack from a Dragon is probably what's needed..."

"Please, figure it out," Mrs. K begged. "I want my son back."

"And we will get him back," Khrista promised. "But we're going to need all the help we can get. If you could help out in any way, I'm sure it'll be greatly appreciated."

Mrs. K's eyes went up the front of the Professors' lab, the uncertain look on her face becoming one of determination. "All right; I'll do it. For Ash."

"That's the spirit!" Khrista encouraged. "Professor Birch is just inside; he can tell you where you can help out the most."

"Thank you, Khrista." Mrs. K walked over to the door as the teen stepped to one side. "Next time you see my son up there, tell him I said hello."

The statement startled Khrista. "How did you -"

"I know a person dressed for travel when I see one." The woman's eyes twinkled with mischief. "You'd better get going."

The teen nodded. "Right." She turned and jogged off towards the Pokemon Fields, leaving the buildings behind.


	45. Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Joshua's annoyance with his new sentry had pretty much reached the tipping point. The Magma grunt wouldn't speak, didn't move from his spot, and didn't even blink, making it hard for the boy to actually get anything done concerning his plans. All he could do was sit on his bunk and think on what upgrades he had to make to the tech that was hidden under the mattress in the untaken upper bunk, which would have been Khrista's.

Suddenly, there as a slight tickling sensation at the back of his head. It wasn't strong enough to be an annoyance, but it didn't fade away as quickly as it had come, wither.

_"Could you get rid of the Magma grunt?"_ a voice asked. _"I kinda want to show myself before this invisibility wears off."_

Joshua's eyes widened when he heard the voice, but he kept the rest of his face emotionless. _I can't. The only way would probably be to free him, and I don't know his name._

_"How long has he been standing there?"_

_A few hours, probably. When did you get here?_

_"An hour, maybe hour and a half ago. Had a quick chat with Darkrai before I came down here... Cyrus' office looks like a pig sty. The Legendary's been doing his job well."_

_I'd certainly hope he is. We'd be without hope of taking Cyrus out if he weren't._ Joshua's eyes caught sight of some movement in a darkened corner. _Can you do anything to take him out?_

_"...Maybe. Gimme a minute, and I'll see what I can do."_

The corner seemed to almost ripple, and Joshua made out the form of what seemed to be a human floating. The figure positioned itself behind the Magma grunt, raised something, and slammed it into the sentry's neck. A second later, the Magma grunt collapsed and began to twitch.

_"Put him in a nightmare,"_ the voice explained. _"It won't last long, but it will be long enough."_ The ripple of space then became Khrista, who was now standing rather than floating, her shirt a dark purple, a red backpack on her back, and a belt with four PokeBalls around her waist. "Hey. It's been a while."

"It certainly has been," Joshua agreed. "When are they coming?"

"Soon. When they told me I had to come back, they hadn't iron out an exact date." Khrista shrugged. "There's a few things I have to take care of before they can start, anyway."

_The Psychic-Types?_ Joshua mentally asked. When he saw the look of confusion appear on Knrista's face, he explained, _Team Aqua has sensors in the walls to listen in on our conversations._

Khrista frowned. _"Darkrai said they'd been broken free. I don't see how you have to be so suspicious of them. But yes, that's why, along with the pesky outer defense system."_ She then added vocally, "I came to cause general havoc."

Joshua felt the PokeBall in his pocket move in response to this. "Did you bring anyone with you?"

Khrista pointed to the belt of PokeBalls, then sent a look at her backpack, out of which popped the head of a blue-furred Eevee.

"You really shouldn't have come along," Khrista remarked to the Pokemon.

The creature gave the teen a pouting glare. "You said I could!"

Khrista let out a sigh. "I told you to ask your parents. Not get in my backpack when I wasn't looking." _"Her name's Mist - Vapor's and Glacier's daughter."_

_Ah. And the others?_

"They were the ones I was planning on bringing along originally." _"Two Pikachu and two Raichu."_

Joshua sent a quick glance at the Magma grunt, who was still off in dreamland, much to his relief. He then reached into his pocket and withdrew the PokeBall.

Khrista's eyes widened. "How-"

_Butch snuck him to me,_ Joshua explained through the established mental link. _You do recognize the Pokemon inside, right?_

Khrista moved over to Joshua's outstretched hand, took the PokeBall, and maximized its size so that she could have a better look at its contents. Upon seeing the Pokemon that was inside, her eyes widened even further. "No way."

"Way. You have now been reintroduced to my top Unova Pokemon." _Also known as Zorro._ Upon seeing the look of shock his cousin was giving him, Joshua stated, "He can guide you through this building better than I can. He's been working in his illusions for some time, as well."

"I thought..." Khrista glanced down at the Magma grunt, then continued in a whisper, "I thought he was a Zorua."

"Was being the key word. Z got separated from his mom, and he wants to hunt down the guy who kept his mom from watching him grow up."

Mist's eyes widened. "Zorua are known to bear great grudges against the person who took them away from their mothers before their time. Whoever this person is, they're so dead!"

Slowly, the Magma grunt began to stir. Joshua, upon seeing this, pointed to the door.

"Get out of here!" the boy hissed. "Start to hunt down those things you need to destroy. I'll take care of what I have to."

Khrista nodded. "I'll come back later to let you know of my progress." With that, she clipped Zorro's PokeBall to her belt and vanished, the air around the door rippling a moment later.

The Magma grunt let out a groan as he stood up slowly. "Uh... What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked, keeping a straight face.

"Something attacked me," the grunt muttered. "I remember a flash of light..." He looked around in confusion. "What am I doing here, anyway?"

Joshua's eyes widened upon seeing the Magma member's actions. Quickly tapping his left ear, he muttered, "Nick, get over here - _now_. Something's up with the new sentry the goons sent."

There was the sound of static on the other end, then the Aqua member's voice came over the communicator. _What happened? We missed half the stuff you were saying_

"My friend and I were using telepathy to communicate."

_Telepathy?_

"The kid who escaped is back, and she's got a few new moves. For instance, the Hypnosis/Nightmare combo she used on the Magma grunt."

_And now there's something up with him?_

"He's acting like he's lost some of his memory." Joshua eyes the Magma grunt, who was looking at him curiously. "Almost like the spell's been broken."

_...I'm coming right over_

"Who were you just talking to?" the Magma grunt asked slowly.

"Probably an old rival of yours," Joshua responded. "So, you don't remember anything from the past few days?"

The man frowned, then shook his head. "It's pretty much a blur."

"But you know who you are?"

The grunt nodded. "Yeah...I do. Where are we?"

Joshua let out a sigh and leaned back. "Sinnoh. At least, it used to be, before Team Galactic's leader actually managed to take over."

The steel door banged open, revealing Nick and his Azumaril. Upon seeing him, the Magma grunt's eyes flew wide, and he backed up into the wall.

"N-Nick?" the Magma grunt stammered. "What are you-"

Nick strode forward and grabbed the Magma member by the arm. "This isn't a good place to talk, Terrus," he growled. "Come on." With that, he took the Magma grunt out of the cell, closing the door behind him.

Once Joshua was sure that no one was coming in, he leapt off his bunk and checked the unclaimed bunk, making sure that everything was as he had left it last. Then he looked at the lower bunks, where his sisters lay sleeping. The teen softly moved over to where his Eevee sister lay.

"Little _Mayan_ princess," Joshua whispered. "Wake up."

Maya instantly sprung out of bed, her fur puffed out like someone had rubbed her against a balloon.

"About time!" she hissed, annoyed. "I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to break out of that." She trotted over to a corner and shook out her fur, getting it back to a non-pincushiony state. "What happened while I was out?"

"I'll let you know when I get your sister," Joshua responded, motioning to the sleeping Chikorita. "Just give me a moment." He made his way over to the bed, leaned over his other sister, and whispered, "Wake up, _Tina._ Your Meganium's hungry."

The Pokemon stirred a little, but didn't wake up.

"Let me try," Maya suggested. She jumped up onto the bed and, after a moment, decided to bite down on the leaf protruding from Tina's head.

"OW!" Tina instantly complained, jumping up as May let go. "Did you have to do that?!"

"We didn't know if you were back from _there_ or not," Maya hissed in response. Turning to look at Joshua, she then asked, "Well? What's happened?"

"Things have been set in motion," Joshua murmured. "Not only is our cousin back, but the rebellion is going to start in a few days' time."

"How are you going to know?" Tina asked quietly.

"Aqua's broken free, and Khrista will report back whenever possible." The teen glanced up at the ceiling. "But the real kicker is going to be the weather. When you hear the hailstones, the attack has begun."


	46. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Joshua's annoyance with his new sentry had pretty much reached the tipping point. The Magma grunt wouldn't speak, didn't move from his spot, and didn't even blink, making it hard for the boy to actually get anything done concerning his plans. All he could do was sit on his bunk and think on what upgrades he had to make to the tech that was hidden under the mattress in the untaken upper bunk, which would have been Khrista's.

Suddenly, there as a slight tickling sensation at the back of his head. It wasn't strong enough to be an annoyance, but it didn't fade away as quickly as it had come, wither.

_"Could you get rid of the Magma grunt?"_ a voice asked. _"I kinda want to show myself before this invisibility wears off."_

Joshua's eyes widened when he heard the voice, but he kept the rest of his face emotionless. _I can't. The only way would probably be to free him, and I don't know his name._

_"How long has he been standing there?"_

_A few hours, probably. When did you get here?_

_"An hour, maybe hour and a half ago. Had a quick chat with Darkrai before I came down here... Cyrus' office looks like a pig sty. The Legendary's been doing his job well."_

_I'd certainly hope he is. We'd be without hope of taking Cyrus out if he weren't._ Joshua's eyes caught sight of some movement in a darkened corner. _Can you do anything to take him out?_

_"...Maybe. Gimme a minute, and I'll see what I can do."_

The corner seemed to almost ripple, and Joshua made out the form of what seemed to be a human floating. The figure positioned itself behind the Magma grunt, raised something, and slammed it into the sentry's neck. A second later, the Magma grunt collapsed and began to twitch.

_"Put him in a nightmare,"_ the voice explained. _"It won't last long, but it will be long enough."_ The ripple of space then became Khrista, who was now standing rather than floating, her shirt a dark purple, a red backpack on her back, and a belt with four PokeBalls around her waist. "Hey. It's been a while."

"It certainly has been," Joshua agreed. "When are they coming?"

"Soon. When they told me I had to come back, they hadn't iron out an exact date." Khrista shrugged. "There's a few things I have to take care of before they can start, anyway."

_The Psychic-Types?_ Joshua mentally asked. When he saw the look of confusion appear on Knrista's face, he explained, _Team Aqua has sensors in the walls to listen in on our conversations._

Khrista frowned. _"Darkrai said they'd been broken free. I don't see how you have to be so suspicious of them. But yes, that's why, along with the pesky outer defense system."_ She then added vocally, "I came to cause general havoc."

Joshua felt the PokeBall in his pocket move in response to this. "Did you bring anyone with you?"

Khrista pointed to the belt of PokeBalls, then sent a look at her backpack, out of which popped the head of a blue-furred Eevee.

"You really shouldn't have come along," Khrista remarked to the Pokemon.

The creature gave the teen a pouting glare. "You said I could!"

Khrista let out a sigh. "I told you to ask your parents. Not get in my backpack when I wasn't looking." _"Her name's Mist - Vapor's and Glacier's daughter."_

_Ah. And the others?_

"They were the ones I was planning on bringing along originally." _"Two Pikachu and two Raichu."_

Joshua sent a quick glance at the Magma grunt, who was still off in dreamland, much to his relief. He then reached into his pocket and withdrew the PokeBall.

Khrista's eyes widened. "How-"

_Butch snuck him to me,_ Joshua explained through the established mental link. _You do recognize the Pokemon inside, right?_

Khrista moved over to Joshua's outstretched hand, took the PokeBall, and maximized its size so that she could have a better look at its contents. Upon seeing the Pokemon that was inside, her eyes widened even further. "No way."

"Way. You have now been reintroduced to my top Unova Pokemon." _Also known as Zorro._ Upon seeing the look of shock his cousin was giving him, Joshua stated, "He can guide you through this building better than I can. He's been working in his illusions for some time, as well."

"I thought..." Khrista glanced down at the Magma grunt, then continued in a whisper, "I thought he was a Zorua."

"Was being the key word. Z got separated from his mom, and he wants to hunt down the guy who kept his mom from watching him grow up."

Mist's eyes widened. "Zorua are known to bear great grudges against the person who took them away from their mothers before their time. Whoever this person is, they're so dead!"

Slowly, the Magma grunt began to stir. Joshua, upon seeing this, pointed to the door.

"Get out of here!" the boy hissed. "Start to hunt down those things you need to destroy. I'll take care of what I have to."

Khrista nodded. "I'll come back later to let you know of my progress." With that, she clipped Zorro's PokeBall to her belt and vanished, the air around the door rippling a moment later.

The Magma grunt let out a groan as he stood up slowly. "Uh... What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked, keeping a straight face.

"Something attacked me," the grunt muttered. "I remember a flash of light..." He looked around in confusion. "What am I doing here, anyway?"

Joshua's eyes widened upon seeing the Magma member's actions. Quickly tapping his left ear, he muttered, "Nick, get over here - _now_. Something's up with the new sentry the goons sent."

There was the sound of static on the other end, then the Aqua member's voice came over the communicator. ::_What happened? We missed half the stuff you were saying::_

"My friend and I were using telepathy to communicate."

::_Telepathy?::_

"The kid who escaped is back, and she's got a few new moves. For instance, the Hypnosis/Nightmare combo she used on the Magma grunt."

::_And now there's something up with him?::_

"He's acting like he's lost some of his memory." Joshua eyes the Magma grunt, who was looking at him curiously. "Almost like the spell's been broken."

::_...I'm coming right over::_

"Who were you just talking to?" the Magma grunt asked slowly.

"Probably an old rival of yours," Joshua responded. "So, you don't remember anything from the past few days?"

The man frowned, then shook his head. "It's pretty much a blur."

"But you know who you are?"

The grunt nodded. "Yeah...I do. Where are we?"

Joshua let out a sigh and leaned back. "Sinnoh. At least, it used to be, before Team Galactic's leader actually managed to take over."

The steel door banged open, revealing Nick and his Azumaril. Upon seeing him, the Magma grunt's eyes flew wide, and he backed up into the wall.

"N-Nick?" the Magma grunt stammered. "What are you-"

Nick strode forward and grabbed the Magma member by the arm. "This isn't a good place to talk, Terrus," he growled. "Come on." With that, he took the Magma grunt out of the cell, closing the door behind him.

Once Joshua was sure that no one was coming in, he leapt off his bunk and checked the unclaimed bunk, making sure that everything was as he had left it last. Then he looked at the lower bunks, where his sisters lay sleeping. The teen softly moved over to where his Eevee sister lay.

"Little _Mayan_ princess," Joshua whispered. "Wake up."

Maya instantly sprung out of bed, her fur puffed out like someone had rubbed her against a balloon.

"About time!" she hissed, annoyed. "I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to break out of that." She trotted over to a corner and shook out her fur, getting it back to a non-pincushiony state. "What happened while I was out?"

"I'll let you know when I get your sister," Joshua responded, motioning to the sleeping Chikorita. "Just give me a moment." He made his way over to the bed, leaned over his other sister, and whispered, "Wake up, _Tina._ Your Meganium's hungry."

The Pokemon stirred a little, but didn't wake up.

"Let me try," Maya suggested. She jumped up onto the bed and, after a moment, decided to bite down on the leaf protruding from Tina's head.

"OW!" Tina instantly complained, jumping up as May let go. "Did you have to do that?!"

"We didn't know if you were back from _there_ or not," Maya hissed in response. Turning to look at Joshua, she then asked, "Well? What's happened?"

"Things have been set in motion," Joshua murmured. "Not only is our cousin back, but the rebellion is going to start in a few days' time."

"How are you going to know?" Tina asked quietly.

"Aqua's broken free, and Khrista will report back whenever possible." The teen glanced up at the ceiling. "But the real kicker is going to be the weather. When you hear the hailstones, the attack has begun."


	47. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Khrista knew that Joshua had trained his Zorua to be fast, but she hadn't figured on Zorro's evolved form. That Zoroark was _extremely_ hard to keep up with, even when he was going at _half_ his normal speed.

"How much Carbos did he give you?" Khrista asked as she flew the halls, still in her invisible ghost state.

"I never bothered to count," Zorro responded carelessly. "We don't have much further to go - our destination's up ahead."

"Where are you taking us?" Mist asked from her position inside the backpack.

"You'll see." The Zoroark turned a corner and jumped up onto a wall, his claws digging into the material. Khrista stopped beside him, her eyes looking over the hallway before them.

"Zorro, what am I supposed to be looking at?" Khrista asked.

"This is where they keep the Pokemon," Zorro explained. "Come on - the Psychic-Types are holed up in here." He jumped from wall to wall, stopping at the end of the hall in front of a door marked with a purple eye. "We're going to need a password in order to get through."

"Spoken or typed?" the teen inquired.

"It looks like a keycard," Mist remarked, pointing to a slot on the door.

Khrista let out a growl of annoyance. "Great. Now we have to find someone with a keyboard - and the right keycard, too."

"It's Butch," Zorro stated.

The teen looked at the Zoroark in surprise. "The Rocket grunt? He has it?"

Zorro nodded. "Despite how he acts, he's top Stoutland when it comes to Pokemon care."

"Which is ironic, considering what Rocket used to do to people," Mist noted. "Where are we going to find him?"

"Who's there?"

Khrista turned towards the source of the voice and, upon seeing who it was, smirked. "Looks like we won't have to look too hard," she remarked.


	48. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

When Butch had heard that the Psychic-Types were acting up, he went straight to the storage room in order to figure out what was wrong. You could probably imagine his shock when an invisible something snatched the keycard away from him and opened the door, all the while talking in three different voices.

"Who's there?" the ex-Rocket grunt demanded for the umpteenth time. "Show yourself!" When there wasn't an answer, he walked forward quickly, entering the room. Upon seeing what was going on inside, his eyes widened.

"Take it easy, guys," a girl in an orange shirt said as she broke apart the bars of a cage that held some of the Pokemon. "I'll get each and every single one of you out; just give me a minute." Butch's heart picked up speed as the girl's shirt changed colors as she moved from cage to cage, tearing the bars apart and severing the Pokemon's connection with the system. And then there were the girl's partners! The Zoroark and shiny Eevee looked powerful enough to destroy any one of the Psychic-Types! Wait a minute...

"What are you doing with that Zoroark?" Butch demanded as he stepped towards the girl.

The teen sent a quick look in his direction, then looked back at the cage bars she was trying to pry apart. "I'm borrowing him for a little while; my friend said that he would be helpful in my work."

The Zoroark grinned at Butch, then slashed a cage open, allowing a Mime Jr. and a Smoochum to tumble out. He then moved onto the next cage.

"And what is your work?" Butch asked slowly, watching as the Psychic-Type Pokemon gathered in the center of the room, eyeing him suspiciously.

The girl grinned at him. "What does it look like it is?"

"Vee!" the Eevee exclaimed. "Ee Vee!" **[a/n: "Maria! There's one more!"]**

The teen turned her head in the Pokemon's direction, frowning as she did. "What do you mean, one more?"

The Eevee pointed to the back wall. "Vee-Vee!" **[a/n: "Back there!"]**

The Zoroark frowned, as well. "Zo-ark?" **[a/n: "Back where?"] **The Pokemon walked over to the wall, sending his claws along it. There was a sudden _click_ as a hidden button was discovered.

Butch swallowed nervously as the wall slowly slid apart, revealing the hidden chamber.

The girl's eyes widened. "No way." She looked back at Butch. "You guys caught the Wishmaker? When?"

"When your friend got here," Butch responded carefully.

The girl looked back at the sleeping form of the Legendary, her eyes narrowing as she took note of the wires that wove in, out, and around the Psychic/Steel-Type. "Now, how are we going to do this..." Her shirt became a dark purple that marched the shade of a Gastly's form. She raised her right hand, then threw what appeared to be a Shadow Ball at a mechanical device above Jirachi's head. The attack bounced back and hit a wall, dissipating.

The girl frowned. "Hmmm...some sort of energy repulsion." She reached out and found the force field. "Maybe it's got a weak spot."

"I don't think it does," Butch responded. "Cyrus built it himself."

The Eevee looked up at the girl. "Vee! Eev eev." **[a/n: "The Electric-Types! They can help."]**

The teen's eyes widened, and she smacked herself in the forehead. "Of course! I completely forgot about them." She reached for her belt and tossed four PokeBalls into the air, releasing two Raichu and two Pikachu, a male and a female of each species.

The male Pikachu looked around with wide eyes. "Pika pika chupi?" **[a/n: "Is this in the tower?"]**

The teen nodded. "Yeah. We've got a little problem." She motioned to the chamber. "There's some sort of force field keeping us from getting to the Wishmaker. There's probably a generator connected to it. Do you think you guys could find it and take it out?"

The male Raichu saluted, then moved to stand in front of the slumbering Legendary, his tail twitching, after a moment, the Electric-Type pointed at a corner of the room, sparks flying off the thunderbolt on his tail. "Rai, chu-rai," he stated. **[a/n: "It's right over there."]**

The girl nodded. "Can you overcharge it without hurting Jirachi?"

The Raichu thought for a moment, then nodded. He led the other three Electric-Types over to the corner, pointing up at a device above their heads.

"Rai, rai," the Raichu stated. "Rai...rai...Chu!" **[a/n: "Ready...set...Now!"]**

The four Pokemon used Thunder at once, sending the attack up at the device in the corner. Instantly, the electricity spread out across the room, affecting the wires and lighting in the room.

The teen smirked. "Let's hope this works." She caught sight of the nervous look on Butch's face, causing her grin to become wider. "Don't be such a worrywart. You and Cassidy ran into this sort of thing enough times that you should have a minor immunity to it." Her eyes went over to where Jirachi lay, watching as the energy field started to fluctuate from the added electricity. With a final flash of light, the force field vanished, and the technology in the room began to smoke.

The female Raichu grinned. "Rai, Raichu," she stated confidently. **[a/n: "They never learn."]**

The teen nodded. "You got that right." She moved over to where Jirachi had been trapped and, moving quickly, removed the wiring and removed the Legendary from the machine. "I hope they didn't do anything to him."

The Psychic/Steel-Type let out a moan, then shook his head as he came to. _"What? Where..."_ The Legendary's eyes instantly widened, and he jumped out of the teen's arms. _"What happened? The last thing I remember-"_

"Calm down," the girl stated calmly. "We only just got you out of the thing Cyrus had you trapped in." She motioned to the smoking device behind the Legendary. "What ended up getting you trapped here in the first place?"

Jirachi's gaze went over the group quickly, and, after a moment, the Wishmaker stated, _"Mewtwo wanted to find a way to stop Cyrus' progress for a little while, and he and I managed to sneak in and mess around with that machine of his right before they sent someone through. They came up from behind, but Mewtwo managed to escape. I've probably been trapped here ever since."_

Butch frowned slightly. "Probably? You haven't been moved at all from there since we out you in there at Cyrus' behest." It took him a moment to realize that he had actually managed to say his boss' name without getting is mouth shut, so he decided to test how far he could go. "Honestly, the only way you managed to get out is that those Raichu managed to break that crazy coot's machine." Much to his delight, neither of his hands moved up to cover his mouth and prevent him from saying anything more.

The girl gave him an odd look, her shirt turning pink. "Hold still for a minute, Butch." Before the ex-Rocket grunt could ask about what the girl was going to do, she grabbed his forehead, and he instantly blacked out.


	49. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

_It turns out that Jirachi had sensed that I was coming, and that I would be needing some help. Somehow, he was involved in Joshua getting to keep his free will, and he was more than willing to help out in any way he could. I ended up telling him to head back to the Underground and tell them my progress in the chaos-making, and to try and help them in any way possible. I decided against telling him to take Mist back along with him - the Eevee had made it clearly known that she was going to find her way back to me if I so much as Teleported her out of the tower. She was pretty helpful in freeing the Psychic-Types, I must admit._

_Turning to look at Zorro, who was poking at the knocked out Butch, I asked, "Do you have any idea where they hid the controls for the outer defense system?"_

_Zorro thought for a moment. __"I think they have the Electric-Types powering that. Rescue them, and that should do it."__ He made his way over to the door, looking at each of the Psychic-Types in turn. __"Make yourselves scarce, all of you. Teleport yourselves out of here and find shelter."_

_"Find Ho-Oh," Raichu suggested. "He'll give you shelter."_

_The Pokemon nodded, then disappeared at once in a great flash of light, leaving the room empty except for us._

_At my feet, Butch began to stir, letting out a grunt as he stood up. "You mind giving me some sort of warning next time?" he demanded._

_I shrugged. "I wanted a private conversation with the Legendary. Could you blame me?"_

_"...Well, I guess not." Butch looked around a little fearfully. "But do you have any idea as to how much trouble I'm going to get in? If they find out that I was here when the Pokemon vanished, Cyrus is going to have my head!"_

_I gave him a curious look. "Cyrus has his hands full already. If you really want to hide, I'm sure that I could arrange something."_

_Zorro frowned. __"I highly doubt that we can do anything for him,"__ he remarked from his position by the door. __"Come on; we've got to find those Electric-Types."_

_I was about to answer when the communicator in my ear suddenly crackled with static, Green's voice coming over it a moment later. ::_Khrista? Are you there?::

_"Yeah, I'm here," I answered, pressing a finger to my ear. "What's up?"_

::Jirachi just got here. Is it true that you've managed to disable the Psychic sensor?::

_"I do believe that I have," I confirmed. "Have you guys managed to settle on a date yet?"_

::Birch wants it to start sometime in the next two days. Nothing narrowed down any further than that::

_"All right; I'll keep an eye and an ear out for you guys and try to take care of things up here. At the rate I'm going, I'll probably have everything spiraling down into chaos long before you get up here."_

::Don't be too rash. We don't want this thing over before it's begun. Over an out::

_I looked over at Zorro as Raichu and the others disappeared into their PokeBalls. "Any place you know of that we can hide in for the night?"_

_The Zoroark nodded instantly. __"I know of the perfect place. Come on."__ He dashed out the door, me running after him, switching to Ghost-Type so that I could fly and move more quickly._


	50. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Nick looked up as the warp panel flashed, signaling the arrival of an intruder. Quickly, he hid the communication equipment he was using in order to listen in on the goings-on in the tower.

"Hello?" the figure asked, looking around the bunks. Nick's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the female voice. It matched the voice of the person that had been in Joshua's cell.

"That Nick kid should be around here somewhere," a Pokemon muttered. Nick identified the voice as one of a Zoroark - most likely that boy's friend.

The Aqua grunt moved out of his hiding place. "Who's there?" he demanded.

"A friend of your ally's," the girl stated. Nick took note of the girl's shirt, frowning slightly upon seeing the yellow Master Ball. "We need someplace to spend the night, and I don't think that hiding with my friend at this point would be such a good idea."

"What makes you say that?" Nick asked.

"Well, we were going to stop there, but there were a couple Galactic grunts standing there, so we couldn't go in without being seen." The girl looked around. "I don't suppose that you're being watched, too."

"They think we're too weak," Nick's Azumaril stated flatly as he showed himself. "They haven't bothered to fix the security cameras since the lightning storm outside took them out."

The girl frowned. "Lightning storm?" she repeated.

"It's nothing that you should probably be worrying about," Nick stated carelessly. "You said something about looking for someplace to hide?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah." She reached for the her belt, releasing four Electric-Types from the PokeBalls there as a blue Eevee jumped out of her backpack. "At least until the following morning."

Nick's eyes widened. "Oh, sheesh. You brought all of these Pokemon with you?"

"Pikachu and Raichu can be very helpful," the girl responded calmly. "The Eevee decided to hitchhike in my backpack without my consent."

The female Raichu eyed Azumaril cautiously. "Are you sure we can trust them?"

"They're included in the plan," the Zoroark responded. "I don't see why we can't."

"Try saying that after you helped to take them out."

Nick eyed the girl cautiously. "How much experience do you have in this world?"

"I'm great with the Training stuff; I've pretty much dabbled in everything else," the teen responded carelessly. "All Galactic knows is that I'm a Hoenn expert."

Nick was surprised at this. "You mean that you didn't tell them everything?"

"Butch let me answer the questions however I felt like." The girl shrugged. "So I told a half truth. What's the big deal about that?"

"What's the big deal?" Nick repeated. "Kid, you've probably got a bigger advantage over those goons than you realize."

The teen frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"When Cyrus' 'new world' came into play, a lot of the records from the old one vanished," Azumaril explained. "And the ones they had left weren't of much help - you otherworlders had so many nicknames and usernames that it was hard to tell which one was your real name. There's a slim chance that they have your actual records, but if no one knows your real name, then they're pretty much useless."

The girl was surprised by this. "Seriously? So I can get the jump on the goons by knowing what their Pokemon's weaknesses are?"

"If you think that's how it'll best suit you."

The teen exchanged grins with her Pokemon. "Oh, this is going to be _fun_. Next morning, we are _so_ going to give them the time of their lives." She looked around at the bunk beds. "So, are all of these taken?"

Nick nodded. "There are some of us who take night shifts, though. I think that Shelly-"

"No, no, don't worry about it," the teen stated. "I don't want to surprise anyone who comes back early. I can find some other place to sleep."

There was a sudden _WHUMP _from the other end of the room, causing the group's heads to turn to look at the back of the room in surprise.

"Well?" Shelly looked at the group from her position in front of a mattress. "The kid needs a sleeping place, right?"

The teen grinned. "Thanks! Come on, guys!" She led the Pokemon over to the mattress. It ended up with the girl lying on the mattress, with the Zoroark at her feet, the Eevee by her head, and the Electric-Types bunched around in whatever other places were available.

Shelly tossed a blanket at them, watching with amusement as the Pokemon and the human arranged it in such a way that only their heads stuck out.

"So, you're the kid that got out?" the Aqua Admin asked.

The teen nodded. "Yup. I came back to start to set things up for the fall. If there's anything you can do to help take out the defenses this place as set up, it'll be more than helpful." She let out a yawn. "Well, I'd better get some sleep before having another go at them. Wake me up in about eight hours." With that, the girl drifted off.

Shelly looked over at Nick and Azumaril. "So, how's our little friend doing?"

"He's still a bit shocked about what's happened," the Water-Type responded. "Terrus'll be all right soon enough, I should think."

Shelly nodded in approval. "Good." She turned and walked back towards her bunk (which was now mattress-less) as she continued, "Next morning, send the girl with him to his quarters. She could be the key to winning them over."

Nick gave the girl a curious look. "That kid? I dunno..."

"I heard what the boy said, too, Nick. What she did to Terrus, she could do to Maxie." She grinned back at the Aqua grunt. "And trust me, Maxie deserves it." With that, she lay down on the floor next to her bunk."

"Are you sure that's even comfortable?" Azumaril asked, curious.

"I'm used to sleeping like this," Shelly responded. "Good night, you two."


	51. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

If Khrista hadn't left so early and so quickly, Birch would have kept her another two hours by asking her to tell him how much she knew about their world. The simple fact that she had managed to get Delia Ketchum (who wouldn't have left her house until everything was taken care of and her son was back to his normal self) to come out and ask to help in any way possible was enough to get the Hoenn professor to try and hunt down her Trainer record.

Birch shook his head quietly as he went through the records they had managed to sneak away from Cyrus' grip. It wasn't much, but it had been enough to help identify the first few kids who had come into their hiding place. Unfortunately, they didn't have Khrista's, but they did have her cousin's. And Joshua had run into her enough times that Birch could gauge her strengths, as well as figure out what specific realms the girl had visited over the years.

When they had first interacted, Joshua had been in the Kanto segment of his journey, having started off in Hoenn and gone off to help quell a sudden uprising of Team Rocket trouble. After the team members had scattered, the boy had done what most otherworlders did at one point or another - trade their Pokemon to themselves in some sort of roundabout way that the Professors had never really bothered to try and understand. During that time, Joshua had traded with Khrista - a Charmander for a Mudkip, which made sense because Joshua had't had any data on the Hoenn Water Starter before then. The next day, the two of them had a Double Battle, with Joshua using a Alakazam/Gengar combination he had managed to perfect - Alak and Gangrene, no doubt. Joshua ended up coming out victorious, despite his Charizard almost fainting to Raichu.

Later on, when the boy had continued to Sinnoh, the same sort of thing took place, but with a Chimchar being traded for a Piplup, and the match ending in a tie when Raze fainted from a Flare Blitz recoil, and Cedar fell to a burn. Then, in Unova, it had been a Tepig for a Snivy, and five battles - one per a team from the specific regions they had visited, Unova being first, and Hoenn last. Both Trainers had been experienced enough to win two of the first four battle each, with Joshua coming out on top in the Hoenn match. And then there were the records of the two teens helping out each other as Rangers and leaders of their own Exploration teams, but those recordings were less detailed.

"These kids must have nothing else to do," The Professor muttered in amazement. "No one can do this much in six years."

"Hey, Professor!"

The Hoenn Professor turned his head, catching sight of Cedar and Blaze standing in the lab's entrance. "What is it?"

"Khrista found Jirachi," Cedar replied.

Birch jumped up in surprise, almost knocking the box of files off his desk. "What?! Is he all right?"

"The little guy's fine," Blaze responded carelessly. "They didn't have Ash do anything to him." The Blaziken smirked. "He brought company, too - a whole squadron of Psychic-Types."

Birch's surprised look became one of eagerness. "Khrista is doing her job well," he noted. "How is Delia doing?"

"Working non-stop," Cedar answered. "For a woman who's been staying in her house for who knows how long, she can move pretty quickly. It's like she's been drinking Carbos smoothies or something."

Blaze grinned. "I wouldn't put it past her," he agreed. "Come on - I think Flint wanted our help in getting those cannons ready."

As Cedar and Blaze left, Birch put the box of files back in the secret compartment behind one of the cabinets, sliding it back into place after the Pokemon were long gone. After sending a quick glance around the room to make sure tat everything was in place, the professor left the lab and made his way over to the Square, where the other professors and four Trainers were discussing The Plan, and making sure that nothing had been left out.

"There you are, Dad!" Brendan exclaimed, waving from his position at the table, which was between May and Ruby. "We were wondering when you'd get out here."

"What took you so long?" Sapphire asked, looking down from her Tropius.

"I was just looking a few things over," the professor responded. "Is everything going according to plan so far?"

"There have been a few minor problems," Oak admitted. "When Green took Jirachi to where Tate and Liza were working with their Pokemon, they almost dropped a cannon they were trying to move into place. Sabrina just happened to be there, and managed to pick up the slack with her Alakazam."

"The Psychic Gym Leaders are working with Jirachi now to round up a few Legendaries to supplement the first wave," May added. "Last I saw of them, they were looking for Mewtwo."

"The Pokemon are getting antsy, as well," Ruby continued. "A lot of them want to go up there now, whole the others are willing to wait until the last minute to head up there."

"And then there's Cackle," a Swampert behind Norman's son stated. "That Haunter really should be put on a leash and kept near Sabrina 24/7."

"He's a Haunter, Zuzu," Sapphire reminded the Pokemon. "They're known for their tricks, remember? Besides - it's the only reason that Sabrina really kept him around at first. Be glad Ash got him for her to get her out of her funk."

"And we are," Oak responded. "Now, as for the report Green gave us concerning Khrista, it seems that Joshua has found some allies within the tower."

Rowan frowned. "Allies?" he repeated. "I find that highly doubtful."

Oak handed Rowan a sheet covered in writing. "See for yourself." While the Sinnoh professor was looking the paper over, Oak continued, "Apparently, the communicator Green designed also picks up on psychic waves, or telepathy. Khrista had a conversation with Darkrai, revealing that not only is the Legendary's work actually affecting the rest of the tower in a roundabout way, but it has also allowed me specific group to break away. Team Aqua, to be precise."

"WHAT?!" Sapphire exclaimed. "That can't be right - we made sure that they were disbanded after the otherworlders had caught those versions of the Legendaries."

"Team Rocket came back," Elm pointed out. "I wouldn't out it past any other team if they did."

Birch frowned. "Well, if they're back, then Magma has to be somewhere in the tower, as well. And then there's the Rocket and Plasma goons they might have picked up."

"And the children," Juniper added. "Depending on Cyrus brought through, we could be in deep trouble."

Birch nodded in agreement. "Right. How's the progress coming along? Will we be prepared to attack on time?"

"More like ahead of time," Brendan responded. "If we keep working in day and night shifts like this, we should be able to get everything ready soon enough - a day from now, at least; on time at most."

"The Pokemon are helping a lot more than you'd think possible," May added. "The Legendaries, especially."

"You wouldn't believe how many Pokemon those Exploration Teams have!" Sapphire continued. "They only sent out half of their teams to stock up and had the rest help out back here. For the most part, they've been handing out items to help strengthen Pokemon abilities and moves. They've probably got at least fifty of each item, maybe even more stored under lock and key somewhere."

"The Pokemon have even been handing out evolutionary items for those who want them," Ruby stated. "Luminous Spring is also officially open to those who can't evolve otherwise, whether or not they're on a Team."

"We're taking this extremely seriously," Zuzu clarified. "This could be the one chance we have of taking Cyrus out. No one is leaving _anything_ up to chance."

"No one should."

The group's heads turned, catching sight of Red, Pika, and Mrs. Ketchum as they approached.

"The cannons are in position," Pika reported. "We just loaded the last one."

"And Luminous Spring is practically overflowing, what with all the Pokemon who are trying to gain access to it," Red added. "A Thunderstone almost affected Pika on our way over." The Pikachu on the Champion's shoulder let out a shudder. "So, I saw Jirachi appear out of nowhere. Where have you guys been hiding him?"

"Actually, Khrista just rescued him from up there," Ruby explained, pointing upwards. "Him and a whole lot of Psychic-Types that Ho-Oh sent over when they appeared in his mountains."

Mrs. K looked surprised. "She managed to do that?"

Birch nodded. "That, and it seems as though Team Aqua is on our side."

"The Kyogre lovers?" Red asked. "I don't suppose those Groudon swooners are up there, too."

"It's a possibility," Birch admitted, a sly smile coming across his face at the names Red had given the Hoenn organizations. "The two leaders are actually brothers."

"Seriously?" Sapphire gave her father a curious look. "Since when?"

"I think I heard about that," Mrs. K remarked. "Hasn't it been said that they had some sort of argument over which Type was better when Archie turned ten?"

Birch nodded. "There was another Professor who had been running my lab in Littleroot at the time, but I remember when those two had come into town to get their Pokemon. Maxie had turned ten a few years before, but had opted to wait until Archie was ten so they could get their Pokemon together. I had been the professor's assistant at the time, so I had already gone through a journey of at least some sort - I had decided against joining the League, knowing my path already.

"Archie wanted one of the Mudkip that we were keeping nearby, but Maxie wanted the both of them to have Torchic. It was obvious that the two of them had talked about this for some time, because Archie instantly burst out with "For the last time, I said that I wanted a Water-Type!" Then they started fighting, right in the middle of the lab. I had to have my Sceptile and Swampert step in to pry them apart. The Professor decided to have them settle it in a battle. You can probably guess who won."

"Archie," Red stated.

Birch nodded. "Maxie was absolutely furious. He vowed that he would try to beat his brother at everything, including their wishes to find the Legendary Pokemon first."

Ruby snorted. "Well, he certainly did. But we took care of that, right, Saph?"

"Right," Sapphire agreed. "Did you ever run into them again, Dad?"

Birch shook his head. "I didn't really see them after that, but I heard about them on TV - Archie and Maxie ran into each other in the League, a few years after the fiasco in the lab. Neither of them had reached the final round, but they were pretty close. They tied up to the point of their final Pokemon, which happened to be that Sharpedo and Camerupt they liked after their Swampert and Blaziken were returned to the lab - most of the Water and Fire Starters we handed out during the Aqua/Magma crisis were actually their kids."

Zuzu's eyes widened. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"You were actually one of the few who weren't, Zuzu," Birch assured the Pokemon.

The Swampert let out a sigh of relief.

"Khrista's Swampert, on the other hand..."

"What do you mean, 'on the other hand'?" Swamp asked as he approached.

"It's nothing," Birch stated quickly. "Khrista's inside, and Joshua has found allies in the remnants of Team Aqua. All we can really do now is hope that they manage to take out the outer defenses and give us the opening we need by causing general chaos."

Swamp's eyes widened. "No way. Archie's actually working with us?"

"In a roundabout way, yes."

The Pokemon smirked. "Man, Marsh is not going to believe this. I'd better go find her!" Swamp turned and lumbered off.

"Marsh?" Brendan repeated.

"Joshua's Swampert," May explained. "Khrista gave her to him as a combined birthday gift from her and Swamp, who had been more than eager to get the Trainer something special. Joshua had given her a Charmander in exchange, not realizing that Swamp's daughter had managed to contract Pokerus and suddenly changed color to accommodate for it." The Coordinator smirked. "She turned purple."

"A purple Swampert?" Red blinked in surprise. "That's a bit...odd."

"At least she didn't turn black, like some Rayquazas I've heard about," Sapphire remarked. "Wasn't there one in ancient times, owned by some king?"

Birch shrugged. "Perhaps." He looked over at the other professors. "I'm going to turn in for the night. If anyone needs any help with anything, you can come right on up and wake me."

Brendan grinned. "You got it, Dad. Come on, guys - we'd better let everyone else know to pick up the pace - the only time Dad sleeps is when he wants something done in the morning." He turned and dashed off, the others in pursuit.

Mrs. K smiled at Oak. "Looks like we're in for another adventure."

"I suppose so," the Kanto Professor responded. "I wonder if Gary and Ash ever had to go through this when they weren't on camera..."


	52. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Khrista smiled to herself as she looked around the dreamscape, but then frowned as she looked at all the volcanoes. "What is this?" she asked.

_"The dreams of a man who I need manipulated,"_ Darkrai explained as he appeared beside her. _"I suppose you can probably guess whose."_

"...a Magma member, right?"

_"Correct."_ Darkrai waved an arm toward the landscape. _"Maxie has been living in a major dream for the entire time that Cyrus has been in control; that is how he is being controlled. The Red Chain, although not completely visible, has its tentacles over almost everybody in this building, excluding you, me, and whatever Pokemon and humans have managed to be freed, break away, or remain free during the duration of Cyrus' reign. Maxie has been living here ever since he fell asleep the night Cyrus managed to return from the Distortion World and summon Dialga and Palkia, bringing along the Lake Spirits and Ash for the ride."_ The Legendary turned to face Khrista. _"I want you to try and free him."_

"Me?" Khrista repeated. "Free the leader of Team Magma?"

_"You rescued Terrus, one of his grunts, when you used that attack in your cousin's cell. You can certainly rescue him."_

"But, why him? Why not start with another one of his grunts and work my way up?"

_"Because we don't have enough time. Trust me, when the leader of one organization is broken free, the rest follow. That's how I managed to get Aqua out of their mess, and how you are going to get Magma out of theirs. Now, find him, before the night runs out on us!"_ With that, Darkrai vanished.

Khrista frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, isn't that just great. Now, where am I to find Maxie..." Her eyes scanned the world, pausing at each volcano. "Is this the world Maxie imagined? The place where land dominates the world? If it is, I don't want a part of it."

"Too bad for you, then."

The teen turned quickly, catching sight of what appeared to be an old man with receding red hair, wearing a rather regal-looking set of robes with the Magma symbol on it. On one side of him stood a Camerupt, and on the other stood a Blaziken, which Khrista found rather surprising.

"If you want no part of it, what are you doing here in the first place?" Maxie continued.

"I'm here to help you out of this mess," Khrista responded. "This world...this place... It isn't real, old man."

The statement seemed to sting - which was good, in Khrista's opinion. "How dare you say that! Blazikan! Camerupt! Take care of this pest."

The two Pokemon charged at Khrista, who quickly jumped to one side, her shirt changing to sky blue so that she could fly up to avoid any further attacks.

Instantly, the heat from the volcanoes around her hit Khrista like a brick wall, causing her to slam to the ground, switching to Fire mode automatically.

"O.K.," Khrsita muttered. "Looks like I can't be doing anything like that." She rolled quickly to one side to avoid the Camerupt, then scooted backward quickly in order to avoid the Blazikan. "So, how am I going to do this...?"

Maxie gave the teen a curious look. "What did you just try to do?"

"You mean you don't know?" Khrista let out a grunt as she got up from the hot ground. "I'm the kid who managed to escape from Cyrus' tower; I came back in order to free everyone else. Including you."

"Cyrus? That Galactic idiot?" Maxie let out a short laugh. "You amuse me."

Khrista gave him an odd look. "You think that is amusing? Let me ask you, how did you get here? What do you remember taking place before you ended up here?"

The Team Magma leader frowned. "What does that matter?"

"Well, I'm sure that you had a few Magma grunts guarding your sleeping place. Where are they in this world, huh? And what about Groudon? I'm pretty sure that Ground-Type Legendary would be wandering around somewhere - maybe lording it over Kyogre's skeleton? Where are they?" The teen crossed her arms over her chest, watching Maxie as he thought these statements over, his two Pokemon standing in front of him protectively.

"...I don't know," Maxie stated finally. "I remember getting into bed in my home at Fallarbor, then... I'm drawing a blank."

"The night you went to bed, Cyrus came back from his banishment in the Distortion World and summoned Dialga and Palkia, getting the Lake Sprits' attention, causing them to summon Ash to Spear Pillar in order to stop what was taking place." Khrista gave him a dubious look. "Try and guess what happened."

The Magma Leader's eyes widened. "No...that can't be possible."

"It trapped you in this dream realm, and you've been sleep-walking and following his orders ever since. I haven't seen you in person yet, but I did run into one of your grunts - Terrus, I believe it was? It looked like he had been hit with a Hypnosis spell and hadn't been freed in _years_. Doesn't sound very fun, in my opinion." Khrista watched Maxie as he looked around his version of a "perfect world," doubt starting to appear on his face. The two Pokemon beside him started to flicker in and out of existence, almost as if trying to confirm that this place wasn't real.

"If this is all a dream, how did you get here?" Maxie finally asked.

"I'm part Pokemon, and my Psychic-Type abilities allow me to travel from one Dream World to another." The teen knew that this probably wasn't the right answer, but it was the closest she could have gotten at that point. "I'm one of the kids who got dragged from that other world; most of them were put under Cyrus' control, much like you." Khrista smirked. "And then there are the kids who managed to slip away to a rebel base, and my cousins, who are trapped within the tower. We're planning on causing great amounts of chaos and taking out Cyrus, but we're going to need everyone's help in this, including yours and Archie's."

Maxie bristled at the mentioning of the leader of Team Aqua, but kept his anger to a minimum, not noticing that s Pokemon had started to flicker in and out more frequently. "What is your name, child?"

Khrista shook her head. "I'm not willing to disclose that information. Names have a lot of power right now, and if anyone figures mine out while still under Cyrus' control, this rebellion is pretty much sunk. Before I can tell you mine, you have to get out of this dreamscape, so that those under you can be rescued, as well. Darkrai has already taken care of your adversary's." she held out a hand. "So, what do you say? Will you fight your way out of this dream realm and start the chaos in your own way?"

Maxie looked at the teen, a slightly bemused look on his face. Upon noticing that his Pokemon bodyguards had completely vanished, however, he nodded and took Khrista's hand in a firm grip. "That boy should not be messing with the balance of things; I know that now. The world is fine the way it is."

The volcanoes around them started to rumble loudly, as if signifying that something big was coming.

"Go!" Maxie ordered Khrista. "This is something that I must combat alone."

"What is?" the teen asked confused.

"The one thing that has been avoiding me since I had arrived here...the one thing that would have made this place a reality..."

Groudon burst out of the ground in front of them, throwing boulders and lava every which way. None of the debris hit the two humans, but they got pretty close.

Khrista's eyes widened upon catching sight of the Pokemon. "No way am I leaving you to fight this monster alone!" She narrowed her eyes in concentration, and her shirt's red shade began to swirl with another color, coming out with a red-and-light-blue spiral. "Ice Beam!"

For all the heat there was in the air, it didn't affect the move for one reason or another, even when it managed to hit Groudon's stomach.

Maxie gave Khrista a look of surprise, but it turned to one of determination. "No! You can't help. If I am to get out of this dream realm, I can't have you assisting me."

"Why not?" Khrista asked in response.

"I could end up under your control, and not free at all! Now go! I can take care of this pest." Maxie waved his hand, and Khrista was suddenly thrown back by an unseen force, her vision blacking out.

When her vision cleared, Khrista found herself standing next to Lake Verity, with Darkrai nearby.

"What just happened?" Khrista asked, looking around on confusion.

_"Maxie forced you out of his dream realm,"_ Darkrai responded. _"I agree with his statements; he has to fight Groudon alone."_

The teen let out a sigh. "Okay. But did I do all right?"

_"For an inexperienced child who knows next to nothing about dreams? Yes, I believe you did. Maxie knows the truth, and that's what counts. When morning comes, he should be freed from the Chain's grasp, and his team should soon follow. You did well."_

Khrista smiled with relief. "Good." She glanced down at her shirt, frowning at the swirl she found there. "That hasn't happened before."

_"Perhaps it was developed out of a need,"_ Darkrai suggested. _"The heat of the dream realm, combined with your want to use the Ice-Type form, most likely created the Dual-Type form you are now in."_

"Let's see if I can get out of it," Khrista muttered in response. She glared down at her shirt, gripping the fabric hem at the bottom tightly. For a moment, nothing happened, but the swirl slowly unwound itself, the light blue shade vanishing. "There we go." She looked back at Darkrai. "Is there anything else you want me to do tonight?"

The Dark-Type shook his head. _"Maxie was my target for tonight. Make sure that you get that new ability of yours under some sort of minor control when the plan starts. As for your next target...trust in Nick's directions. The Aqua grunt knows what he's doing and where he's going - despite not being under their control, he knows this tower pretty well."_

Khrista nodded, but then frowned slightly. "Do you think that I have to keep my name secret until this thing is over? I'd kind of like it if Joshua and the Underground Trainers weren't the only ones who knew."

_"That's up to you. Aqua members have their ties completely cut off from the Red Chain's power; they are aware of what is happening, and can put their own spin on it."_ Darkrai glanced about. _"Dawn is almost here; I should return to giving Cyrus his living nightmares, lest everything we are working towards be for naught. Keep your wits about you."_ With that, the Dark-Type vanished.

Khrista let out a sigh. "Great. To tell them or not to tell them - that is the question..."


	53. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

When Nick woke up the next morning, he hadn't expected to see the female Raichu sitting on his chest, looking at him suspiciously.

"The grunt's up!" the Electric-Type called to her Trainer, who was standing off to one side and talking with Shelly.

The teen turned to look in her direction. "About time. Now, get off his chest before he knocks you off."

The Pokemon complied, glaring at Nick as he got out of his bunk, careful not to hit the bed above him with his head, thus disturbing the sleeping form above. "Why are you up so early?"

"I need to get moving in order to take out the outer defense system," the teen explained, "and I'm getting the feeling that you might know the general location of the control system for that."

Nick frowned. "Outer defense system?" he repeated. "I only know my way around the Pokemon storage facilities..."

"There's a possibility that the Electric-Types are powering the system," the Zoroark explained from where he and the other Pokemon stood behind the teen. "If you can lead us there, we can take care of the rest."

Understanding came across Nick's features. "Oh. And you want to go there _now_?"

"That's pretty much the idea," the girl confirmed.

Nick took off his bandanna and and ran a hand through his black hair. "I don't we should get going right away," he remarked. "Your little fiasco with the Psychic-Types yesterday has everybody on edge. The Aqua members who were out doing their shifts were pretty antsy when they came in."

"Well, we're going to have to move fast. The attack's going to get here by tomorrow at the earliest." The girl looked over at the female Raichu, who's glare had now moved to Shelly. "You really ought to relax, Raichu. They're on our side, not Cyrus'."

Raichu looked at her Trainer sharply. "What makes you say that?"

"Darkrai told me they'd broken away completely," the teen stated calmly. "Try to put the past behind you for a bit."

The Electric-Type snorted. "Yeah. Sure; like it's that easy."

"So, you're the friend of that boy." The group turned to look as Archie approached from the warp panel.

The girl smirked. "Yup! I got back late last night."

"So I heard. The Rocket grunts are in a panic from your antics." Archie looked over at Shelly. "Jirachi's disappearance seems to have everyone on edge."

"That's just because the Psychic sensor's down," the teen stated carelessly, ignoring the look the two were exchanging. "I'm planning on going after the outer defense system next, but Nick's hesitant to take me to where the Electric-Types are being kept. Like I told him, we don't have much time before the attack starts."

"How long, then?" the Aqua leader inquired.

"Tomorrow at the soonest, two days at the latest. I won't know until I send a progress report down there." The girl shrugged. "Point is, we don't have much time." She sent a quick glance at the blue Eevee that was perched on her backpack. "Plus, I bring news from the dream realm."

Shelly frowned. "Dream realm?" she repeated.

"I capable of traversing between the dreamscapes of specific people," the girl explained. "Last night, Darkrai asked me to try and free someone from their dreamscape, so that they could gain control of themselves and start freeing others."

"Well, it certainly couldn't have been Spiky," Shelly remarked. "Otherwise we wouldn't still be in this mess."

The teen shook her head. "No; it was the leader of the other Hoenn organization. I got Maxie to slip out last night."

Archie's eyes widened. "You freed my brother?"

The teen nodded, not seeming to take notice of certain words in the question. "Darkrai said that if he could be rescued, then the rest of Team Magma would wake up faster than if I went to each of them one at a time." She frowned. "Although, I was a little surprised to see that there was a Blazikan in his dreamscape..."

"It was his first Pokemon," Archie responded. "Just as Swampert was mine."

The girl's eyes widened. "Seriously? I hadn't known that. I wonder if mine is related to yours."

The Aqua leader shrugged nonchalantly. "It's possible - I sent her back as soon as Sharpedo was strong enough to hold his own, long before I had assembled my team."

The teen frowned. "So that means my Swampert could be the son of your Swampert?"

"It's possible."

The girl smirked. "Oh, man. I don't know how Swamp is going to react when he hears about this!"

Shelly frowned. "Swamp?" she repeated. "That sounds familiar..." A moment later, she snapped her fingers. "That's it! You're the kid who picked up that Torchic and Treeko from May and Brendan, aren't you? The kid who kept introducing herself as Khrista?"

The girl blinked in surprise, then smiled sheepishly. "I was counting on keeping that secret for a little while longer," she admitted, "but yeah, that's me. Surprise."

Nick looked at Khrista in surprise. "You're one of the kids who stood out among the others? One of the few who actually managed to get their hands on all three Starters?"

"What so surprising about that?" Khrista responded. "I don't know where my cousin picked up that Sceptile of his." She frowned. "But that's besides the point. Right now, we need to take care of the defense system. Now that you know who I am, are you going to take me and my team there or not?"

Nick thought for a moment, a slightly nervous look coming across his face. It vanished rather quickly, however, and he put his bandanna back on, a determined look on his face. "Let's go."


	54. Chapter 53

Cyrus awoke that morning feeling like he had been tossed into a volcano.

The night had started out nicely enough - no thunderstorms; no deep, endless pits lined with hungry Seviper. And then came the heat.

It hasn't been much, at first - almost unnoticeable, not really anything to worry about. Then it began to increase in strength, annoying the Galactic leader to no end. When it started to become unbearable, Cyrus began to search for the source - which was hard, considering that his dreamscape was the maze that is Spear Pillar. It seemed to take hours before he finally managed to locate the source: a volcano located in the center of the ruins, spewing out its gases into the already dark sky above. The Galactic leader didn't know when it got there, or how - but he did want it off his mountain. Unfortunately, the volcano didn't leave. The heat slowly became stronger instead, as the lava began to leave in sudden spurts from the "spring" that had formed there.

Cyrus had swallowed down an upwelling of fear when the lava spring had begun to shake and increase in outtake. Slowly, a single claw of glowing red began to emerge, taking hold of the opening's edge. The Galactic leader had backed up slowly as what was attached to the claw followed it out, eyes widening when he had realized that the monster was the Pokemon Groudon.

Cyrus had steeled his nerves in an attempt to stand his ground and force the dream figment to disappear, but that hadn't worked. Instead, the Pokemon had suddenly increased in size, the heat reaching unimaginable heights. The Ground-Type had then begun to lumber towards Cyrus, its intent clear on its face. The Galactic leader had been startled of of his dreamscape the moment the Legendary's claws had hit him in the side, sending him careening through the air towards an especially large pillar.

Cyrus, sitting in his bed, started to wonder if actually creating a world in his image had been a good idea...


	55. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Khrista looked around the hall, taking note of the murmuring voices, their sources of of sight. "So, is this where they keep the Electric-Types?" Upon seeing Nick nod, she asked, "Why separate from all the other Types?"

"They like to have the power sources for everything as close together and under as tight a security system as possible," Azumaril explained. "Honestly, I think it would make better sense if they put the generators in different corners of this floor - the tower, even. The intruders wouldn't be able to get to them all at once that way."

Khrista smirked. "You know, that actually doesn't sound like a bad idea." She then frowned. "But then the warp panels probably wouldn't work, and the door that open with pass codes and keycards wouldn't exactly work, either."

Zorro nodded. "We'll have to choose carefully, if we're going to take any one of these out."

Sparkler's ears perked up as the group made its way cautiously through the corridor. He was the only Electric-Type Khrista had left out, so that they could try and hunt down one of the generators. During the time Khrista had trained him, the Raichu had traveled to the Power Plant in Kanto, and had learned to detect different kinds of energy from his visit there.

"There's a very strong Pikachu somewhere around here," Sparkler warned, looking around. "I can't quite place where he is, though..."

Khrista's eyes widened. "A strong Pikachu, huh? Could it be..." She trailed off as her shirt went from red to yellow, in an attempt to try and locate the Pokemon. "If anything, the Pikachu's either the Pokemon of a strong Trainer from my world, or it's..._someone_ else's." She looked over at Sparkler, who seemed to take the hint.

"It's a possibility," he admitted. Sparkler looked around, his ears swiveling in order to detect the electricity of that particular Pokemon. "Do you see the electric build-up over in that direction?" He pointed towards a door marked with a "DO NOT ENTER" sign in bright red letters.

Khrista frowned, then closed her eyes, concentrating. Eventually, she saw a bright yellow light coming from beyond the door. "Wow. That's a lot of energy." She opened her eyes and look down at Sparkler. "There's obviously some strong Pokemon over there. Let's check it out." The teen's eyes went to Nick. "That is the room we have to get into, right?"

Nick and Azumaril exchanged a glance, then nodded.

"They keep the really strong Pokemon in there," the Aqua member explained. "Sometimes, though, they take them out to make sure that the other generators are giving out enough energy."

Khrista nodded. "Makes sense." She looked over at Zorro. "You want to do the honors? Or do I have to figure out a way to get everybody through in my intangible ghost form?"

Zorro shook his head. "Relax. I got this." He moved over to the door and inspected it. After a moment, he backed up a little, then yowled, "Shadow Claw!"

The Dark-Type's claws slashed the steel door's locking mechanism, the marks that had been left behind glowing with some sort of dark power. The door then swung open on oiled hinges, revealing a strangely dark room, eerily lit by many glowing, yellow opaque capsules.

Khrista stepped into the room cautiously, her shirt switching back to normal now that she could see the light without need of her Electric abilities. The teen's eyes scanned the room quickly, stopping when she looked up at the ceiling. "Sparkler, I don't think you want to come in here."

The Electric-Type looked up in the direction his Trainer was staring, his eyes widening. "Mother of Zapdos," he murmured.

The entire ceiling was covered with Ground-Types.

"They won't attack unless you do something dangerous to the generator," Nick explained to Khrista from the doorway.

The teen let out a growl of annoyance. "Great. Looks like I'll have to take them out, first." Her shirt turned a deep blue, and she threw a sphere of water up at one of the Pokemon - a Sandslash. "Water Pulse!"

The Pokemon she was targeting let out a yell of surprise as the attack hit his spines, shuddering uncontrollably. He then started to lash out at its fellow Ground-Types as Khrista continued to fire Water Pulses. Eventually, chaos ensued up on the ceiling, some of the Pokemon that had been sitting up there collapsing to the ground, knocked out. As the stragglers continued to fight amongst themselves, Khrista's attention turned to the capsules.

"Do any of you know Iron Tail?" the teen yelled at the capsules, hoping that a Pokemon might have heard her.

"That won't work!" a faint voice called out. "There isn't enough room in this thing!"

"What will get you out, then?"

"Overload it!"

Khrista's eyes widened. "Okay, Sparkler. I need you to get in here. The rest of you, stay out unless you want to get electrocuted." She reached for her belt and released the other three Electric-Types in her possession as Sparkler came over. "Okay, guys. We need to overload this thing with so much power it goes haywire. You up to it?"

"I certainly am!" called the voice from within the capsule. "Just say the word!"

The four Electric-Types that weren't trapped nodded to each other, determined looks on their faces.

"Where do you want us to hit?" Raichu asked.

"There's a large red thing on the generator. If you pull it off, it looks like a giant outlet. Give that thing everything you've got!"

Khrista looked over at the generator and saw what the voice meant by red thing, which looked like seem sort of cover. Moving around the fainted Ground-Types, she reached out and tore off the cap, revealing the outlet. The teen nodded to the Electric-Types, her shirt changing to yellow.

"On my count," she stated. "Three... Two... One... Now! Thunder!"

Five blasts of powerful electricity blasted towards the outlet, hitting it directly. The glowing capsules started to increase their output, as well, the power almost sparking off the cables as it flowed into the generator. Within a few minutes of the power going in, the mechanical device began to smoke, different parts of it sputtering and letting off sparks of their own.

"Almost there!" the voice from the capsule encouraged. "We gotta get it to explode!"

"Got it!" Khrsita shouted back. She poured on the power, glaring at the outlet as the sparks and smoke increased. She let out a primeval shout as one last burst of energy slammed into the machine, completely dismantling it with a _bang._

Khrista halted the flow of electricity, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. "There we go. Let's hope that did it." She turned to look at the capsules, frowning upon seeing that they had stopped glowing. "You guys all right?"

One of the capsules cracked, then completely broke open like an egg, allowing the Pokemon inside to come out. "We're fine," a nervous Pachirisu stated. "A little bit worse for the wear, but fine."

The other capsules began to break open, as well, releasing more Electric-Types as they slipped out of their cages.

"It's about time someone got us out of there," a Pokemon remarked. A solitary Pikachu forced his way through the crowd of Pokemon to stand in front of Khrista and her Electric-Type troop. "Those things are pretty cramped..." The Pikachu's eyes widened as he looked up at Khrista. "When did you get a different shirt?"

Khrista glanced down at her yellow attire, changing it back to the original shade and graphic. "I've always had this shirt," she responded. A moment later, the teen's eyes widened, and she realized who exactly she was talking to. She smirked. "Now this is going to be a big blow to the tower." She looked back at Nick and Azumaril. "We gotta find these guys a hiding place before and Galactic grunts get down here and try to catch us."

Nick nodded in agreement as Khrista's Pokemon returned to their PokeBalls. "Right. Let's get these guys back to my place - we can figure out what to do for there."

Azumaril frowned. "I dunno... There might not be enough room."

"What do you suggest that we do, then?" Zorro demanded.

Khrista snapped her fingers. "I know!" She turned to look at the Electric-Types. "Who among you guys wants to get out of here?"

Most of the Electric-Types raised their paws or shouted in response.

Khrista nodded. "O.K., then." Her shirt changed to the Psychic shade as she continued, "I can send you guys to a place that can heal your injuries and get you back to fighting condition. They're preparing for an attack on this place, and if everybody's up and ready to fight, there'll be more of a chance of us winning this."

The Pokemon in front of her looked at each other. After a moment, Ash's Pikachu stepped out of the crowd and crawled up onto Khrista's shoulder.

"I'm staying here," the Electric-Type stated. "Ash and I still converse, and he'll start to wonder if I'm not in the area."

Khrista nodded. "All right, then." As Pikachu leapt off and moved to stand beside Zorro and Mist, Khrista turned to look at the rest of the Electric-Types. "Anyone else want to stay?" When none of the Pokemon moved, the teen nodded. "Okay. Here goes! Teleport!" She sent a blast of Psychic energy at the menagerie of Pokemon, which disappeared in a flash of light.

"Where did you send them?" Mist asked.

"The Square, down there," Khrista responded. "I had a pretty clear picture of it in my head, so I sent them there." She shrugged. "We'd better get back before anyone finds us."

Nick nodded in agreement. "Let's move."


	56. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Volkner and Lt. Surge sensed the change in electrical power almost instantly.

Being Electric-Type Gym Leaders, they had spent time near and around electricity for a pretty good chunk of their lives, so they knew when something was going on. This was especially the case when about fifty Electric-Types appeared in the Square for no particular reason. The two Trainers had instantly looked the Pokemon over, calling a Nurse Joy and Brock over for assistance.

"Where did all of these Pokemon come from?" Brock asked, blinking in surprise at the sight of the crowd. "They look like they've been through a lot."

"We escaped from the tower," a Pachirisu explained. "A girl with a multicolored shirt managed to Teleport us here."

The four figures looked at each other.

"Multicolored shirt?" Volkner repeated.

The electric squirrel nodded. "Her shirt went from yellow to red to pink."

The eyes of the Blissey that Joy had brought along widened in surprise. "That has to be Khrista!"

Joy looked over at the Normal-Type. "The girl that escaped from the tower?"

Blissey nodded. "I remember taking a round over in Mt. Coronet. The Trainer had been training with her Pokemon, and they had needed a recharge because they had used up their Power Points training her."

Brock looked surprised. "Really? She can use Pokemon moves?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Joy turned to look at Brock, whose Toxicroak was watching him warily from a distance away. "The child somehow managed to pick up a Pokemon's abilities from her stay up there. The Professors sent her back in the hopes that she could deal some damage before they sent the Pokemon and Trainers up there to attack."

"Which is probably the reason these little guys ended up appearing down here," Lt. Surge mused. "She probably took out a generator or something."

A Pichu nodded. "That's right! She had these four other Electric-Types with her, too, and they somehow managed to take out the thing that was draining us of our energy."

Joy's face adopted a look of concern. "Poor things," she murmured. Turning to look at the Blissey, she stated, "I want you to go get the other Pokemon and assist me in getting these Pokemon into the infirmary as soon as possible."

The Normal-Type Pokemon nodded, then turned and dashed off towards the Pokemon Center, calling out for other Pokemon in the area.

Brock reached out and picked up the Pichu and the Pachirisu carefully, making sure that he didn't harm them any further than they already had been. "It'll be okay, guys," he stated. "You'll be in prime condition in no time."

"Will we be able to help take out the tower?" a Blitzle asked, leaning against Lt. Surge.

"If you let Joy do her work," the Kanto Gym Leader replied, "you _might_ be able to help out." He reached out and, with a carefulness that wasn't normally associated with the muscular man, lifted the Pokemon up and carried it off towards the Pokemon Center.

As the group was moving the Electric-Types into the Pokemon Center, Birch and Swamp were watching from a distance, Green working with her communication systems on a picnic table nearby.

"Do you think Khrista managed to move all those Pokemon?" Swamp asked, curious.

"Definitely," Green confirmed. She removed the headset she had been wearing. "I could hear everything through the earpiece I gave to Khrista. There was one Pokemon that didn't get Teleported down here, though - Ash's Pikachu. I didn't really catch everything that he had said, but it sounds like he's been conversing with his Trainer through that dream-thing Sabrina told us about. If Pikachu suddenly disappeared from the tower, that would set his Trainer on edge."

"That makes sense," Birch admitted. "What a way to keep up the illusion of nothing going wrong."

"Something's going to give, though," Green warned. "A single generator failure isn't going to stop them completely, and we don't have too long before your scheduled attack. This definitely isn't going to be a walk in the park."

Swamp nodded in agreement. "We'll have to be careful when we slip in there." The Pokemon then turned its attention to Birch. "Raze told me that our parents had been acting up the past few days. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Birch frowned. "It could be that their original Trainers have been freed from Cyrus' grip," he suggested slowly.

Swamp blinked in confusion. "Raze's and my parents' Trainers are up there?"

Birch nodded. "I don't know if you ever learned, but you mother's first Trainer was Archie."

The Pokemon frowned. "My mother did mention that her Trainer had left her in favor of a Sharpedo as his strongest Pokemon, but I never thought that her Trainer was Archie. That was certainly...unexpected."

"I wasn't planning on telling you," Birch admitted, "but the simple fact that Khrista has managed to partner up with Archie changes things."

Swamp looked between Birch and Green, the Kanto Trainer nodding in confirmation. "I think I'll have to have a talk with my mother and her Trainer when all of this is over. There are things that we need to discuss."

"And you won't be the only one to do that," Green remarked. "I want to figure out more about the holographic avatar that all those kids used. I mean, all of us ran into those kids at one point or another, but only Tate and Liza actually managed to figure out how many kids actually interacted with us. Them, and a few of those in the evil organizations. And then there's the characteristics and the Pokemon that came through and were used..." She drifted off, a thoughtful look crossing her face, but she was then startled out of her thoughts. "I'd better get moving! I promised that I'd help a couple kids train their Blastoise." Moving quickly, she gathered up her communications equipment and dashed off.

"I have a few things to take care of, as well," Swamp remarked. "I'll see you later, Professor." With that, the Water-Type walked off into the Fields.

As Birch waved to the Pokemon in temporary farewell, he thought, _Those kids had better make sure that the Tower is weakened. Who knows what will happen when we attack and they're well-defended?_


	57. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Joshua and his siblings were sitting in a corner of their cell, waiting for one of the Galactic members to come in and order them to do something. When a figure appeared above them and Zorro popped out of his PokeBall, all three of them jumped back in surprise.

"Well, that's no way to greet your cousin," Khrista remarked with a smirk. "How're you guys doing?"

"Good," Maya responded, looking up at her cousin. "What have you been doing?"

"Taking out generators, saving Pokemon." Khrista landed, then shrugged as her shirt changed to red. "What about you guys?"

"Waiting for the signal," Tina responded quietly. "Alak said that it had something to do with the weather."

Khrista frowned. "The weather...?" Her eyes widened. "Oh! You mean the storm the Legendary Dogs are cooking up?" Upon seeing Joshua nod, she smirked. "Perfect."

Pikachu poked his head out of her backpack, Mist's head coming out alongside his. "What do you mean, 'perfect'?"

"With all of the energy they have built up out there, you'd think it could do some major damage to this place," Khrista explained.

Joshua looked over at the Electric-Type on Khrista's back, and his eyes widened. "You have got to be kidding. You found his Pikachu?"

"The one and only," Pikachu shot back, grinning. "Are you the friend of this Trainer who is helping the rebellion from the inside?"

"All three of us, yes," Joshua corrected. "Where did she find you?"

"Destroying a generator." Pikachu slipped out of the backpack and onto Khrista's shoulder. "She somehow managed to send the other Pokemon out of the tower to some other place."

Maya's eyes widened. "What? How?"

Khrista smirked. "Let's just say that I can do things that no other human can." The smile faded, replaced by a serious look. "By Birch's standards, we don't have long before the attack. A day, at least. We're going to have to move fast if we're going to rescue everyone else before the others arrive."

Mist frowned. "Rescue? What do you mean?"

Khrista looked back at the Shiny Eevee. "The Trainers that Cyrus kidnapped? They need to be brought to their senses." The teen motioned to Joshua. "If I can get him out of his cell, I might be able to get more of them freed than when it's just me."

Tina shook her head. "We'd have to get him past the Galactics, but Charon's probably going to figure it out either way."

Khrista frowned. "Yeah, you're right. That scientist's going to be a bit problematic. And then there's his grandson."

Zorro's ears twitched. "Someone's coming," he warned. "We've got to go. Now."

Khrista shook her head. "I'm not leaving just yet." As her shirt switched from red to the Ghost-Type shade, she stated, "Stay close." With that, she vanished, Mist and Pikachu disappearing with her. Zorro, after giving a quick nod in farewell to Joshua, disappeared into his now-invisible PokeBall.

As soon as the red light from the sphere had faded, the steel door opened, revealing Charon and Butch.


	58. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Joshua watched the two as they entered, taking note that he hadn't caught so much as a glimpse of "the box" through the doorway behind them. He sensed that there was something about the scientist and the Rocket member that hadn't been there before - some sort of uneasiness.

"What now?" Joshua asked, a bored tone in his voice.

Charon's look became one of nervousness. "It's been requested that you join the other children for the day."

Joshua frowned. "This is a joke, isn't it?" When Charon's and Butch's looks told him the opposite, however, the frown was replaced with a look of surprise. "All right, then." He got up from the ground as his bored look returned. "Let's go." Maya and Tina moved to stand at either side of him.

"Without the Pokemon," the scientist stated, taking note of the Eevee and the Chikorita. "They don't need to go through what you will be doing."

Joshua's sisters looked at each other, then scooted back into the corner. The boy sensed that there was movement behind him, as well - most likely Khrista, who was probably getting prepared to follow him.

"So, box or no box?" Joshua inquired.

"I think you can go without the box," Charon responded. He turned and walked out the door, Joshua following, and Butch bringing up the rear.

_"Something's up with them,"_ Khrista noted through their telepathic link. _"It seems as though they've been spooked by something. Any ideas?"_

_Yeah. You. You're the kid who's been going around taking out the generators and making Pokemon disappear._

_"True. But rescuing Jirachi and one group of Electric-Types shouldn't create all that much fear. I bet that Darkrai is somehow involved."_

_I've heard rumors that the Legendary is running around, but he's only been mentioned as Cyrus' personal tormentor._

_"What he does to Cyrus affects everyone else. That's how Aqua was able to break away." _His cousin paused before adding, _"He actually asked for my assistance the other night."_

Joshua frowned. _Why? Did he need inspiration?_

_"Nah. Maxie was a tough nut to crack, so he asked me to free him. I think I was successful, but I can't be too sure until he exhibits some sort of change on this end."_

Joshua blinked in surprise. _The Magma leader?_ His eyes scanned the hall, leaving the point he's been staring at - the back of Charon's head. _You actually got to speak with Maxie?_

_"A little, yes. He kicked me out so that he could concentrate on breaking free of Cyrus' grip. I still haven't figured out why he had a Blazikan in his dream realm, along with his Camerupt..."_

_A Blazikan, huh? Maybe he started a journey before he became what we know him for today. Archie probably did the same thing._

_"Heh. Swampert vs. Blazikan, then Sharpedo vs. Camerupt. I wonder where they are now."_

Joshua shrugged, catching sight of the ripple of space in the ceiling, signifying Khristams location. _Birch would probably know. We can ask him later._

_"Right. As for the kids - who do you think we should try and free first?"_

Joshua was about to answer when Charon opened a door ahead of them, revealing a room filled with human children and Pokemon alike, all being watched by Galactic members.

"Let's get you assigned to a group you can mentor, shall we?" Charon asked, a familiar, sinister grin gracing his features.

_"Wait - he wants you to mentor mind-controlled kids?"_ Joshua could clearly hear the excitement in his cousin's voice. _"This is a great advantage! We could start to free them right under their noses!"_

_If they don't catch us and toss is into one of their labs,_ Joshua noted as he followed Charon through the crowded room. _Those Galactic goons...they seem to be carrying weaponry._

_"Hmmm?"_ It took a moment for Khrista to apparently see what Joshua meant. _"They look like Voltorb launchers - you know, the kind Surge use in that Japanese comic book."_

_Manga._

_"Whatever."_

The group stopped near a collection of Trainers and Pokemon with a Grass-Type theme, being watched over by a Magma grunt, who looked a little disoriented, yet aware of what was going on.

Khrista let out a chuckle. _"See that? The Magma grunt is breaking free. I'm going to have a look around and see if there's anyone else who looks the same way."_

_Tell me where Silver is when you get back,_ Joshua told his cousin.

_"I'll see if he's here."_

"Children!" Charon called, getting the attention of the group, "This boy is going to be your new mentor. His name, unfortunately, is unknown to me. If any of you recognize him, speak up."

Neither the Pokemon nor the Trainers said anything, to which Joshua mentally sighed with relief. If he was going to really be mentoring this group, then the fact that no one knew who he was happened to be a good thing.

Charon let out a sigh of annoyance. "Very well. Butch, make sure the child knows what he's supposed to do. I don't want any mistakes."

Butch nodded, the nervous look still on his face. "Got it, Boss."

As soon as Charon had left and was out of earshot, he gave Joshua a playful smile, which the teen answered with a curious look

"I helped your friend out," Butch whispered. "Jirachi's awakening and your friend's Hypnosis attack freed me."

Joshua blinked in surprise. Butch had been there when Khrista had rescued some of the Pokemon? And _Jirachi_ had been with them?

_"Silver's in the center of the room, completely surrounded by Galactic goons,"_ Khrista reported as she came back. _"The others are separated into different groups according to the Types of the Pokemon they've been partnered up with."_ There was a chuckle. _"So, did Charon leave you in charge of this group?"_

_That remains to be seen..._ Joshua looked over at Butch, who had been watching the teen expectantly. "What does Charon expect me to do, anyway?"

"Instruct the kids," the Rocket grunt responded with a shrug.

"Instruct them _how_? And what do these kids already know?"

"We basically drill the same thing into their heads - what a Pokemon Battle is and how that involves Pokemon."

Joshua frowned. "You don't tell them how to feed and care for the Pokemon?"

Butch shrugged again. "We take care of that for them." He turned his gaze to the Trainers and Grass-Type Pokemon. "Show us what you know!"

As if Butch had found a power switch, the kids and Pokemon moved as one, separating into groups consisting of two Trainers and two Pokemon each. They then started to spar, the kids watching their charges as the creatures fought without any sort of order from the Trainer.

_"No psychic connections between Trainer and Pokemon,"_ Khrista noted. _"I don't sense anything remotely close to what Legendaries can set up."_

"It looks like they've practiced enough with certain Trainers," Joshua remarked. "How about we try and mix it up a little?"

Butch frowned slightly. "What are you trying to get at?"

"Put them against a Pokemon they have a disadvantage against." Joshua looked around, catching sight of a specific group nearby. "Those Fire-Types, for instance." Looking back at Butch, he finished, "I want to see how they strategize."

Butch seemed intrigued, but also worried. "And you want to do this why?"

"I want to see how they do in a situation like that, and how they can deal with it," Joshua stated matter-of-factly. "If these kids are going to become anything more than what they are now, they need to be tested in all situations. They can't very well get ahead in life if they only fight Trainers with identical Pokemon of the same Type."

_"Joshua, what do you think you're doing?!"_ Khrista demanded. _"This could be the death of both of us!"_

_I want to see how smart these Trainers are in this state,_ Joshua responded. _According to an Aqua grunt I ran into, they're pretty much machines._

_"Still, what you're doing might go too far. Be a little more careful."_

Butch, who had been thinking about Joshua's proposal, finally remarked, "You could get into deeper trouble than you already are, you know. To be uncontrollable is one thing - to merge two groups of kids is another."

Joshua shrugged. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

Both the Rocket grunt and Khrista let out a sigh.

"I'm going to get it for this," Butch muttered under his breath.

After getting the group's attentions with a yell that didn't affect the rest of the room's activity, Butch somehow got them to move a little closer to the Fire group, catching the attention of that area's "mentor"...

...who happened to be Lucas.


	59. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Khrista looked over the red-headed, brown-eyed boy in the black outfit curiously, careful not to say anything aloud to alert anyone of her presence. Taking notice of the recognition that sparked in Joshua's eyes, she asked, _"Which one of your friends is that?"_

_Lucas,_ her cousin responded. _The Blazikan Trainer._

"What do you think you're doing?" Lucas asked snidely, the Torchic beside him glaring daggers at Joshua.

"I want to get the two groups together, and see how they react to a battle with two different Types involved," Joshua explained. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Wrong?" Lucas repeated. "You're practically breaking every rule there is! What kind of idiot are you?"

"This is his first time out," Butch responded for Joshua.

Mist, who had her head sticking out of Khrista's backpack (Pikachu being right beside her), let out a low growl. "That Torchic looks like it should be knocked down a peg," she muttered.

_"Easy,"_ Khrista mentally responded, glad that she didn't have to speak aloud in order to converse. _"We don't want to blow our cover."_

Lucas crossed his arms across his chest and snorted. "If you have the permission to do this, then you should be able to beat me."

Joshua didn't seem to be thrown off by this. _So, his eagerness to battle remains unchanged... Khrista, I'm going to need a Pokemon._

_"Zorro?" _Khrista asked, her hand moving towards the Zoroark's PokeBall.

_No - I'm going to need a more common Pokemon. Out of all the Pokemon you brought along, which one did you see the most?"_

While Lucas stood there smirking, Khrista responded, _"I did see a lot of Pikachu, but throwing either Bolt or Volt out there would be majorly dangerous - one knows Fly, and the other has Surf. And then there's Ash's Pikachu, but revealing him wouldn't be too good of an idea, either. The most common among the Normal-Types was Meowth, but I did see one or two Eevee. If anything, Mist would be your best bet."_ The teen glanced back and nodded in Mist's direction, the Eevee then scrambling out of her backpack and jumping off Khrista's back. Mist's sudden appearance at Joshua's side didn't seem to arouse suspicion in anyone - except for Joshua's bodyguard.

"A Shiny Eevee?" Butch murmured, eyes wide.

Mist sent the Rocket grunt a look, then climbed up onto Joshua's left shoulder and whispered something in his ear, something Khrista didn't catch. When her cousin had nodded in response to whatever the Eevee had said, the Shiny Normal-Type leapt off, landing in front of the boy, glaring at the Torchic.

"Too easy," Lucas declared. "Torch, take it out with a Flamethrower."

Joshua made a motion with his hand, and just as the Fire-Type let the move loose, a blast of water came out of nowhere, turning the Flamethrower into nothing more than steam.

Khrista's eyes widened in surprise. _"Water Gun?"_ she asked. _"How?"_

_I should think that it's because of some sort of bloodline,_ Joshua responded, not bothering to look up at his cousin. _Her dad is a Water-Type._

Lucas seemed to be shocked, as well. "No normal Eevee can do that!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Mist. "You've got to be using a Ditto. Torch, Tickle it!"

Joshua did nothing as the Hoenn Starter approached, then tickled Mist with the fluffy feathers that might be considered wings.

"Hee hee!" Mist giggled. "Stop it!" She promptly lashed out, biting the Fire-Type, causing the Pokemon to jump back, a confused look on its face.

"Now you see?" Joshua asked, looking at the surprised Lucas. "This is an honest-to-goodness Eevee." He nodded at Mist. "You know what you have to do."

Mist nodded. "Right." Her muscles tensed up, and a moment later, sent out a Water Gun blast that hit the Torchic, knocking it out instantly.

Lucas looked confused. "H-how -?"

"Sometimes, Pokemon can pack that unexpected punch that you need," Joshua responded calmly. Khrista could sense that there was something in his voice...something that seemed to speak of great experience in that field.

Lucas' eyes widened, and he stumbled backward, his fainted Torchic forgotten. A Magma grunt caught him, looking between Joshua and Lucas in confusion. Butch seemed to be at a loss for words, as well.

_"What just happened?"_ Khrista asked, blinking in surprise. _"It looks like you just punched him in the stomach."_

_I guess you could say that I did that,_ Joshua responded. _You remember how I said that names can free people?_

_"Yeah. What's that got to do with this?"_

_Phrases spoken to certain people at important times seem to do the same thing. I found that out from freeing Maya and Tina - I had to use a combination of the two to rescue them._

Khrista's eyes widened. _"You don't mean to say that Lucas is...?"_

_Yeah, I do. I'm going to need you to get him out of here as fast as you can._

_"And what about you? You getting into trouble shouldn't be a part of the plan."_

_It isn't. And I won't. Now, get him out of here."_

Khrsita let out an audible sigh. _"All right."_ She floated away from where she had been (which happened to be behind and to the right of Joshua), and positioned herself in front of Lucas, ignoring the Torchic. With a dramatic flair, she appeared in a flash of light, a blank look on her face that also had a sense of intent within. Almost instantly, the activity around them stopped, and voices that had been calling out commands were now dead silent.

Without bothering to look back at Joshua, Khrista felt Mist jump up and climb onto her shoulder, right before the teen grabbed Lucas, who had pretty much fainted with his eyes open.

"Don't bother looking for me," she muttered, her shirt flashing to pink. With that, she Teleported away.


	60. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Lucas let out a groan, shaking his head as he came to. His vision, despite being blurry, revealed that he was staring at what looked like the bottom of a bunk bed. His eyes quickly moved to look at what seemed to be a figure, standing not very far away, surrounded by smaller figures.

The boy's shifting in bed seemed to catch the larger figure's attention, and they came over to the bed's side.

"Take it easy," the figure stated as Lucas' vision came into focus. "You probably have a major headache after what had happened."

"Wh-what?" Lucas asked. His eyes widened upon seeing the blue eyes and brown hair of the girl looking down at him. "W-who-?"

"A friend," the girl responded. As Lucas started to sit up, she pushed him back, saying, "You might not want to get up just yet. One of the Aqua grunts kinda stripped you and burned your clothes - said something about a tracking device."

Lucas' eyes widened. "They took my _clothes?_"

"They promised to find you a different set," the girl explained. "Until then, I wouldn't recommend moving."

Lucas swallowed and nodded, then looked around the room. "So, where am I?"

"In the Aqua barracks," the girl responded, grinning. "I'm not an Aqua member myself, but I am friends with them. One of them in specifics."

"It'll probably be a little big, but this'll have to do," stated a voice. Lucas' head turned, and he caught sight of an Aqua grunt with an Azumaril beside him. The grunt, upon seeing the boy wide awake, grinned. "Well, well, looks like Sleeping Beauty is awake." He dropped a blue and white bundle on the bed. "Name's Nick, kid. Welcome to our own branch of the Underground."

Lucas frowned. "Underground?" he repeated.

"A resistance group," the girl explained. Upon seeing the confused look on Lucas' face, she asked, "Where has your head been the past few weeks? Ah, never mind. Look: Cyrus somehow managed to take over the Pokemon World and he's been pulling kids - Trainers - from our world to supplement his forces. Most of the kids who were pulled through to this end somehow became mind-controlled, but there were a few who kept their free will." The girl smirked. "There's a resistance consisting of pretty powerful Trainers and the Professors, as well as the free kids; they've been looking for an opportunity to kick Cyrus off his self-made throne."

"And...you're one of these rebels?" Lucas guessed.

"Correct-a-mundo! My cousin's one of us, too."

Before Lucas could ask anything more, Nick said, "Maybe you should leave the kid be for a little bit. He does need to get into something."

The girl blushed from embarrassment at keeping Lucas from getting into the new set of clothes. "Sorry about that. I'm going to go find Shelly; maybe have another look around."

"Just don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong," Nick warned her. "The entire building's on edge after that stunt you pulled."

The girl nodded, then turned and dashed off, the smaller figures - which turned out to be a blue Eevee (which seemed familiar to Lucas), three Pikachu, two Raichu, and a Zoroark - following her into a different section of the barracks.

"She's a smart kid, but sometimes, she needs to be reminded," Nick remarked.

"She seems...familiar somehow," Lucas remarked as he started to put on the clothes. Like Nick had said, they were a little big, but they weren't so big that Lucas' form would have slipped through them. Team Aqua must have had recruits of his size, back when they were big in Hoenn.

Nick gave Lucas a curious look. "Familiar how?"

Lucas shrugged. "I'm not sure, but when she mentioned that she had a cousin, it kind of...rang a few bells, I guess."

Nick frowned. "Well, she did mention that her cousin had picked up a Sceptile from somewhere..." He trailed off, then shrugged. "A lot of kids probably picked up the Starters they didn't have from somewhere."

Lucas nodded in agreement, then slipped off the bed, leaving the trademark Aqua bandanna on the wrinkled sheets. "I tried to pick up as many Blazikan as I could, though - that Pokemon has to be my favorite."

"Which explains why they partnered you up with a Torchic while you were still under their control," the girl noted as she reentered the room with the Aqua Admin Shelly following behind.

"The entire workforce is in an uproar," Shelly told the two. "If our friends do anything else, we may as well attack and try to take out as many as we can."

"Which means that we have to wait for the rest of the group to attack before we can move," the girl added. "We've already taken care of the outer defense system and the Psychic sensor that Cyrus set up to protect the building from intruders. All that's left is the main attack." She stiffened slightly, her head cocked slightly to the right.

"Something wrong?" Lucas asked.

The girl shook her head. "You guys mind if I disappear for a moment? I need to take care of something." With that, the girl's shirt went from red to dark purple, and she vanished, causing Lucas' eyes to widen in surprise.

"What did she just do?" the boy asked, looking between Shelly and Nick in confusion.

Nick shrugged. "For some reason, she's able to switch between Pokemon Types. That's how she took out the defense system and the sensor. I think what she just went to there was...the Ghost-Type."

"Whoa," Lucas murmured. "That's incredible."

"You're telling me," Shelly responded. "I wouldn't mind having some of that power. Just the thought of being able to summon the waters at my very whim...it sends chills up my spine."

"I don't think it would be a very good idea of you got the abilities I have," the girl remarked as she reappeared where she had been standing a moment before. "If it weren't for the fact that I can only use one Type at a time, it'd probably all go to my head."

"So, what did you need to check on?" Nick asked.

"I just got a message from the Underground," the girl explained. "Preparations are moving along smoothly, and with luck, they should attack at dawn. We've got the rest of this afternoon to prepare ourselves for the attack."

The Zoroark grinned. "It's about time." He rubbed his claws together as though he was sharpening them. "I can't wait to sink my claws into that Skuntank."

Lucas shuddered, hoping that the Dark-Type didn't mean an actual human. The girl seemed to think the same thing.

"The Galactic members are probably going to be put on trial after this, Zorro," she told the Zoroark. "If anything, the only thing you'll be able to sink your claws into are actual Skuntank."

Zorro let out a growl of annoyance, while Lucas' eyes widened.

"I've heard that name before somewhere," he remarked. "And the only person I've run into who's called any of their Pokemon that is...my rival." Lucas looked at they girl again, who was watching him expectantly. "Joshua, your cousin."

The girl nodded. "You catch on quick," she noted. "Can you guess who I am?"

It took a moment before Lucas knew who he was looking at.

"You're Khrista," he stated.


	61. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

"Well, _you're_ definitely not leaving this cell ever again," the Galactic grunt stated with a sadistic grin. "After a show like that, they're going to leave you here to rot." He slammed the steel door shut, but Joshua could still hear the goon's maniacal laughter as he walked away from the boy's cell.

After Khrista had disappeared with Lucas, there had been a confused paused right before all the Galactic goons had started yelling at the kids - and each other - in order to figure out what had just happened. Charon had, of course, promptly gone for Joshua and demanded to know if the boy had anything to do with it. Joshua had feigned surprise, claiming that he hadn't known Khrista had been in the room. The old scientist, giving Joshua a suspicious look. Ten declared that the boy was to be taken back to his room and left there until they had figured out a way to out him out of his misery (oddly enough, the children they had brought over were much more resistance to Pokemon attacks than the average person. This, Joshua had been sent back to his cell.

"What happened?" Maya asked, leaping off the bunk bed she had been lying on. Tina, who had been next to her, followed suit.

"We rescued one of my rivals," Joshua explained. "Our cousin had to appear and get him out of there before the Galactics could figure out what had happened."

The two sisters gasped, eyes widening with surprise.

"Which one was it?" Tina asked.

"The red-head with the fire chick."

The Chikorita frowned. "Why couldn't it have been the other one?"

"Because he was closet. Besides - they tried to put me in charge of a Grass-Type group, and his Fire-Group was in the perfect place for a challenge."

"What were you _thinking_?" Maya demanded. "You could have gotten your name discovered!"

"He fainted with his eyes open," Joshua responded. "I don't think he would've said anything, anyway - he was in shock."

Maya let out a snort. "I suppose that everything became chaotic as soon as our cousin got him out of there."

"You have no idea."

"Actually, a Cubone tried to get away from his assigned Trainer some time ago," Tina recalled. "They found it in the basement a little while later."

Joshua frowned. "How long ago was that?"

"The day before they got us back by accident," Maya responded. "All the Pokemon are starting to become rebellious - they probably sense what's going to happen."

Joshua wasn't surprised by this. He knew that Pokemon could sense when something big was going to happen, and the attack was certainly something big.

"So, when do we get to attack?" Tina asked, bouncing a little at the prospect taking out a Galactic goon.

"Soon," Joshua stated. "But it definitely won't be long."

"No, it won't." The three siblings looked at the back wall of the cell, the two Pokemon surprised to see Khrista leaning against it.

"What are you doing here?" Joshua asked. "A Galactic could come in here and -"

"I got a message from the Underground," Khrista stated. "The attack's going to be at dawn. I thought you should know."

"Tomorrow?" Maya's eyes widened, as did Tina's. "We finally get to strike back tomorrow?"

"That's what Green said," Khrista confirmed. Turning to look at Joshua, she added, "You're rival's woken up, but he needed to be told what was going on. I don't think he remembers being under Cyrus' control at all."

"That's probably to be expected," Joshua remarked. "These two certainly didn't remember anything." He sent a quick glance at the door. "You'd better get out of here and go back to wherever you're staying before a grunt comes in here to check on us."

Khrista frowned slightly, then nodded. "Keep your eyes and ears open - who knows when the attack will reach you." With that, she Teleported out.

Maya and Tina looked at each other, then at Joshua, excitement clear in their faces. Their brother also had excitement sparking in his eyes.

"Get some rest," he told the Eevee and Chikorita. "You're going to need all the strength you can possibly have tomorrow morning."

The Pokemon nodded in agreement, then climbed into one of the lower bunks and disappeared under the covers. Joshua, after a moment, climbed up to a vacant upper bunk and lifted the covers, revealing the projects he had been working on when he was alone. Removing the pile carefully, he laid the tech out on the untaken lower bunk, going over each of them and looking for repairs that might be needed.

After looking each of the devices over, Joshua lifted up a small device that looked like it had a key (or what looked like one) attached to one end. Joshua fingered the strange invention for a moment, running a finger along the "key's" ridges. After he had inspected his work, Joshua moved over to the door and attached the device to the handle, causing it to begin beeping softly.

"Shock sensitive," Joshua muttered, causing the beeping to stop. "Twelve hours." With that, he moved over to the lower bunk, shifted the devices into a blanket-bundle (which he placed on the floor beside the lower bunk), then got under the blankets of his lower bunk, falling asleep in seconds.

The device on the door, meanwhile, began to throb quietly; if anything shook the door handle, the cell's occupants would know. And the intruder would be very sorry they had tried to disturb them.


	62. It begins

Chapter 61

Khrista looked down at her reflection in the Lake Verity dreamscape, trying to concentrate on creating the Dual-Type that she had managed in Maxie's dream. Unfortunately, she wasn't having any luck, causing the teen to slam her fist into the lake out of frustration.

"Why won't this work?" she growled in annoyance. In the rippling water, she caught sight of something pink on top of her head, but it was gone in a moment.

_"Something wrong?"_

Khrista turned her head away from the lake, catching sight of Mesprit floating at shore of the body of water. "I'm trying to access the ability to use two Types at once. I got it before, but it doesn't seem to be working now."

_"You'll probably get it eventually,"_ the Legendary responded. _"You just need more time."_

"Yeah. Time I don't really have right now." Khrista let out a sigh, gating up from where she had been kneeling on the shore. "So, what's up? I got a message from Green saying that the attack was tomorrow."

_"We're going to need you to cause more chaos, according to Birch,"_ Mesprit explained. _"Find as many kids as you can and free them in whatever way possible."_

Khrista's eyes widened. "That's going to be a bit of a tall order. You're basically asking me to free everyone early enough that they can help in the rebellion - Lucas pretty much fainted the moment Joshua rescued him from Cyrus' control. I'd have to go out a few hours before you guys got here." Taking note of the nervous movements the Psychic-Type's tails were making, she let out a sigh. "You came up here to tell me to get going, didn't you?"

Mesprit nodded. _"You're going to need to get up now in order to free and prepare them from the incoming attack."_

Khrista let out another sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose with the thumb and forefinger of her right hand. "All right. But the first chance I get after we take out Cyrus, I'm taking a nap. A long one."

The Legendary chuckled. _"If you'll get any time alone, that is. I'll leave you to your work. Move fast!"_


	63. The Rebellion, part 1

Chapter 62 - The Rebellion, part 1

_I was up and making sure my backpack still had everything in it by the time the Pokemon with me were waking up._

_"What's up with you?__" Mist asked as I threw my backpack over one shoulder._

_"Mesprit told me we have to go out and free more kids," I explained. "We're going to have to move fast - the attack starts in a couple hours." I smirked at the seven Pokemon. "You guys ready to go or what?"_

_"Who are we looking for?"__ Zorro asked._

_"Silver," I responded, "as well as the others Joshua and I have managed to identify. If we can find them, they could recognize other Trainers - and maybe even Pokemon - and get a mass breakout going."_

_"Silver's a strong Trainer,"__ Pikachu noted. __"You might not be able to find him as easily as you found Joshua or that other Trainer."_

_"Well, we'll find him eventually," I responded. "Besides, if he does fight back, I'm pretty certain that he only has his Feraligatr with him."_

_At this, Raichu and her family exchanged grins, then disappeared inside their PokeBalls, Zorro doing the same a moment later. Mist and Pikachu then climbed up onto my shoulders, and I stepped onto the warp panel, leaving the Aqua barracks behind._

_Out in the hallway that gave me access to the cells, everything was quiet. No voices, no alarms, no nothing. In a way, it unnerved me, but I figured that no one else was probably supposed to be up._

_Of course, that probably wasn't going to last for very long. I promptly went ghost, became intangible, and started to stick my head through the doors to see if Silver was in the area. Unfortunately, I didn't see Silver, and I couldn't get into Joshua's for some reason - it felt like there was seem sort of explosive on the door that would blast it open the moment I did. However, in one of the last cells in that area of the building, I did find one person that I knew: Alia, a Kanto Trainer, and a good friend and rival of mine. I recognized her instantly - I knew that black hair with pink stripe combo well enough._

_I slipped into the room and made my way over to her bunk - which happened to be the upper one on the left side of the cell. I almost mistook her for dead, she was lying so still - Alia was always the toss-and-turn type at our sleepovers._

_"Sheesh, what happened to you?" I asked in a whisper, trying what Joshua had done. "It looks like you went through a car wash with the top down!"_

_Alia's body jolted, and she opened her brown eyes with a gasp. An instant later, she had sat up and backed into the wall on one side of the bed. I decided to take advantage of the situation and, after setting myself on the bed (and scaring her out of her wits when it suddenly shifted), I revealed myself, Mist, and Pikachu._

_Alia stared at me, eyes wide, while the smirk I had been wearing disappeared._

_"We've got a problem," I stated._

_"No kidding," Alia responded, looking over the cell and her black uniform. "We've been kidnapped by a guy who has no sense for fashion whatsoever."_

_Yup. She's definitely back to her old self._

"I'm afraid it's worse than that,"_ I remarked, putting my hand over her mouth to keep her from shouting any exclamations at my voice echoing in her head. _"The guy who kidnapped us? He lives in the Pokemon World. It's Cyrus."

_As I explained the situation, Alia's eyes became wider and wider with every sentence. By the time I had finished, she looked like she was ready to explode out of anger._

Why that no good villain,_ she mentally growled. _Why would he do this?

"Power hungry," _I suggested with a shrug. I had hooked Mist and Pikachu into the conversation, as well, but they had yet to say anything. _"Do you recognize any one else in this cell?"

_Alia peered over the edge of the bed, catching sight of the others in the room besides us, still out cold. _It looks like... Yes! Two of them are my cousins!

_I nodded in approval. _"Say a sentence from a conversation you may have had with them in the past, maybe with their names involved. Be careful, though - there might be some bugs in the walls that will hear what you say."_ I floated off the bed, adding, _"I'm going to go find more kids to rescue. Make sure you're ready for the attack. Good luck."_ With that, I disappeared and flew through the door, starting out for another corridor._

Your friend looked like she was about to punch the wall,_ Pikachu noted._

"Wow. I guess the situation we're in angered her more than I thought it would," _I remarked. _"Normally, she's pretty fun-loving, but if you insult her sense of fashion or they to do anything that could upset her in any way, you'd better watch out."

_The next corridor we explored was almost as fruitless as the first, but I ended up scoring with two people this time. The very last cell contained Matthew, and Alia's sister, Kira, who had been in a relationship before they had disappeared. I found it odd that the Galactics had no qualms for putting boys with girls - maybe they had given them orders that kept them in line._

_"Matt, keep yourself together," I whispered into the teen's ear. "You aren't going to be able to ask her out looking like that." I had to back up because Matthew promptly jumped up and whacked his head against the bottom of the upper bunk._

_"OW!" he yelled. I had to slap my hand across his mouth before he woke anyone else._

_"Keep it down!" I hissed. "Every Galactic goon within a mile probably heard you!"_

_Matthew's blue eyes widened, and he pushed my hand away. "What do you mean by that?"_

_"I'll explain once we free your girlfriend," I whispered back. Quickly, I moved to the bunk above him (which had been in the same position that Alia's bunk was), and found that Kira had been lying there, seemingly undisturbed by Matthew's yell. The black hair with yellow streaks looked a little ragged, which I knew would throw Alia into a tizzy the moment she would lay eyes on it.(_**_a/n: Alia is Kira's older sister by a year, and that sisterly activity of doing each other's hair hasn't exactly died out yet_**_)_

_"You'd better not let your sister see you," I muttered. "Hair like that with a girl like her? She wouldn't let you out of her room for an hour."_

_Kira's green eyes snapped open, and she smirked. "Like your hair's any better."_

_Matthew rose from his bed, unveiling his brown hair to the light in the room. "Now will you tell us what's going on?"_

_I held a finger to my lips. _"Shh. I'll have to explain using my telepathy. Don't bother to ask me how I got it - it's a long story, and we don't have much time."

_After I'd managed to speed through the recent events - as well as what was about to happen - Kira gave me this wide-eyes look._

_"We're stuck in another world without a way back?" she asked in a panicked whisper._

"There's a chance that Uxie could find us a way home," _I responded. _"Until then, we're going to have to settle for this world."

_"Is there anything you want us to do?" Matthew asked, getting right to the point._

"When the rest of the kids wake up, you're probably going to be led to congregate in a large room with the rest of the kids," _I responded_. "If you can, free the two on the bed behind you, then make your way to the room and find as many kids as you can and free them - either a phrase from a past conversation or their name will do."_ I looked at the door. _"I've got to go and find more kids. I'll leave you to it." _Before Matthew could ask me anything more, I took off out of the room and got back to my hunt for kids._

Do you think there might be a few Trainers trapped in those labs? _Mist suggested._

It's possible, all right,_ Pikachu responded. _That friend of yours was placed in one the moment he came out of the machine and demanded to know what was going on. _When I gave him a curious look, the Electric-Type explained, _I was in the lab next door when he was brought in.

_This surprised me, and also allowed me to realize that we might not have enough time before the attack happened. Quickly, I left the cells behind and went for the labs._

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

Birch's eyes snapped open at the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. Wasting no time, the Hoenn professor leapt out of bed, made his way through the clutter in his room (almost bumping into his dresser), before throwing the door open, revealing Cedric Juniper, Professor Oak, and Brendan.

Brendan's eyes widened when he saw what his father was wearing. "Dad, you're still wearing the clothes you had yesterday!"

Birch looked down at his attire - lab coat, green sweater, brown shorts - then shrugged. "I wasn't thinking about clothes when I went to sleep last night."

Oak shook his head, an amused look on his face. "Well, I'm afraid we don't have any time to discuss that. Mesprit managed to get your message to Khrista."

Birch jumped out of any thoughts concerning his attire, recalling the request he had asked of Mesprit the night before. "Good. Is everyone else prepared?"

"We're getting there," Cedric responded. "The Champions have everyone roused on their end, and Red is going around with Delilah to wake up the town."

"I sent Zuzu into the Fields to get everyone there," Brendan added. "We've already got a pretty big crowd outside."

Birch made his way into the hall, then rushed downstairs to the ground floor. "How big?"

"The Square was about three quarters full, last I checked," the Hoenn Trainer replied. "A quarter of that is the Pokemon owned by Trainers trapped up there."

"And then there are the Trainers themselves," Oak remarked. "They are prepared to go off and attack the nearest Galactic at a moment's notice."

Birch grinned at this. "Perfect." He grabbed his sandals from their place by the door and dashed out of the lab, the others in pursuit.

Outside, a large crowd had gathered in the Square, and Pokemon and Trainer alike were talking among themselves, eager to get going and rescue those trapped in the tower. As Professor Birch approached, the crowd's murmurings fell to silence, and all eyes fell on him.

"Good morning!" the Hoenn Professor greeted.

"Good morning, indeed," Rowan responded from where he stood by the other Professors in front of the crowd. "The rest of us are up an hour before the designated time, and you sleep in by fifteen minutes!"

There was nervous laughter from the crowd.

"Yes, well," Birch chuckled. "I suppose you kids are wondering what the battle plan is."

"We've been waiting all week!" someone called back.

Birch nodded. "Lance will lead a squadron of Trainers from Mt. Coronet to attack the tower from the outside using Flying Pokemon." Looking over at the Dragon Trainer, he asked, "I suppose you've already picked the Trainers?"

Lance nodded. "Red and I drew up a list and contacted the Trainers last night. We're ready to go whenever you give the signal."

Birch smirked. "Good. Gather your group together and head for the take-off point with Azelf - we'll have Uxie send the signal as discussed when we're ready."

Red gave the Hoenn Professor a thumbs-up, then dashed for the tunnel, followed by Lance and a group of Trainers, with Flying-Types from every region - as well as Azelf - bringing up the rear.

"Now, the Ground and Rock-Types are going to have to get up to the cave ceiling directly underneath the tower's foundation," Birch continued. "We're going to need you to dig up through the foundation so that we can fire the grappling hooks from the cannons and get up there."

A pair of Graveler looked at each other in surprise, then grinned.

"I'm up for shaking that tower," one remarked, cracking his knuckles.

"We could really do some damage," the other agreed.

"You can do that _after_ we get everyone out," a Golem told the two. "Come on; we've got a hole to make, and we don't have much time."

_"I'll come along and give the signal,"_ Mesprit added. _"Let's go!"_ She flew off into the Fields, the Ground/Rock-Types following.

"The rest of you!" Cedric called. "Go and prepare yourselves if you haven't already done so! If you are prepared and are in the first wave, get into position and wait for the signal!" The crowd promptly scattered in opposite directions.

While Birch ran off to make sure that the grappler cannons were still in working condition, Grace trotted over to a picnic bench, by which a yellow Vulpix was sitting.

"You wanted to talk to me, Vanessa?" the Eevee asked as she came to a halt in front of the Fire-Type.

The Vulpix nodded. "I understand that you wish to evolve," she murmured.

Grace nodded, but a saddened look crossed her face. "I want to be able to fly, but I don't know if I'll be able to."

"That's just because we haven't told the humans about it yet," Vanessa responded matter-of-factly. "Even very few Eevee ever hear about it."

Grace's eyes widened. "R-really? You mean there's a chance I'll be able to fly?"

"If you so choose," the Vulpix stated. "If you do, though, you might not be able to become human again, however."

Grace frowned. "What do you mean by that? I can't turn back right now, and I can't go home. The machine got destroyed, remember?"

"That may be, but Uxie could still find a way for you to go home." Vanessa let out a sigh. "Your sister has chosen her fate. What will you choose?"

Upon hearing that Eliza had been in this very same situation, Grace's eyes widened. Then she closed her eyes, let out a sigh, and opened her eyes, revealing a serious look. "Let's do it."

**Line Break. ignore me and keep reading this.**

Joshua's eyes snapped open to the sound of a shrill whistle from the machine on the door. Quickly, he jumped out of his bed and, taking his bundle of devices with him, leapt onto his sisters' bed and lay with his back to the rest of the room. Just as he had done so, the machine exploded.

Maya and Tina jumped out of sleep in alarm at the sound of the noise.

"What was that?" Maya demanded, eyes wide from fright.

"An invention of mine," Joshua replied. He for off the bed and looked to where the door was. "And it worked perfectly."

The handle had been completely blown apart, destroying the locking mechanism.

"What did you do?" Tina asked, hopping off the bed.

"Provided us a way out," Joshua responded smoothly. Pressing his left ear, he stated, "I'm on the move, Nick."

It took a moment before the Aqua grunt replied. ::_So I heard. Khrista's already gone, and Azumaril says that it feels like the storm's getting stronger. Watch out for things going haywire::_

"Will you guys be coming out?"

::_Definite. Meet you by your place in five::_

Joshua frowned. "Five minutes?"

"Five seconds." The door creaked open, revealing a grinning Aqua grunt and his equally eager Water-Type. Noticing the two Pokemon at Joshua's feet, he gave them a quick wave and stated, "Name's Nick. Your cousin ran into me a few days back; same with him there. You kids ready to cause a ruckus?"

Mischievous grins crossed Maya's and Tina's faces. "Yeah!" they cried together.

"Then let's go."

As the three left their cell, Joshua looked around and noticed that the other cells' doors were wide open. "What happened?"

"Cyrus is gonna have some sort of meeting in the training area," Nick explained in passing. "Don't know what it's about, but I'm not going."

"In that case, this might help." Joshua removed a calculator-like device from his bundle. "If you have to, this can crack codes or blow a door open. It's a once-only use, though, so I'd only suggest it as a last resort."

Nick's grin became wider. "Thanks, man! I could use that." He accepted the device, then gave a mock salute. "I'll be seeing ya." With that, he took off down the corridor, Azumaril not all that far behind.

Joshua looked down at his two siblings. "Come on - we have to find that room Nick told us about."

"Why?" Maya asked, frowning.

"Cyrus is going to be there," Tina reminded her brother in a warning manner.

"I know that," Joshua stated. "But it's going to be easy to start freeing people - everyone's going to be-" He stopped short, looking up at the ceiling.

"Be..." Tina prompted.

"In that room," Joshua finished.

_Plunk._

His eyes widened slightly. "Do you hear that?"

The Chikorita frowned. "Hear what?"

_Plunk._

Maya's ears widened as her left ear twitched. "There's something hitting against the building," she murmured.

Joshua nodded. "The hailstones. We have to move - fast." He took off down the corridor, Maya and Tina in pursuit.


	64. The Rebellion, part 2

Chapter 63 -The Rebellion part 2

Khrista was starting to become majorly frustrated. Not only was Silver's location eluding her, but the Pokemon and scientists had disappeared from their labs without a sign as to why.

"This is really weird," the teen muttered, scratching her head.

"Do you think they might have known we were coming?" Mist asked, worried.

"I don't think they know where Khrista is, other than that she's back in the building," Pikachu responded. He looked around, his ears twitching. "It sounds like someone else is coming this way, though."

Khrista's head turned in the direction Pikachu was looking, her eyes narrowing upon catching sight of a blue shoe by a corner in the corridor. "Looks like an Aqua grunt," she remarked.

"Close," Lucas stepped around the corridor, a Poocheyna beside him. "Archie sent me to find you."

"And why did he think you would know your way around this place?" Khrista asked as she approached, her shirt going from Ghost shade to regular.

"I didn't," the redhead responded. "The Poocheyna led me to where you were."

"Sounds like he's got a good sniffer," Mist noted.

The Dark-Type grinned at the compliment.

"So, why did you have to come and find me?" Khrista asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Everybody's been gathered in the main training area of the building," Lucas explained. "You're going to have to move fast if you want to get there and cause the most havoc."

Khrista's eyes widened, and a huge grin crossed her face. "Now things get interesting. Which way?"

"There's a one way green warp panel that'll take you there," the Poochyena responded, one paw pointing around the corner. "Once you're there, you'll probably be near enough to Silver that you can get him freed." Looking back at Khrista, the Pokemon added, "Good luck."

The teen nodded. "Thanks. You guys keep your eyes and ears open, all right? If you manage to hear about something big, either come looking for me or an Aqua grunt, or try and take care of it yourself. Think you're up to that?"

Lucas' eyes widened, but they went back to their normal size a moment later. "I'm ready to knock all those Galactics into next year."

Pikachu nodded in approval. "Good. Get going and sabotage something before those scientists get back. Set something to explode or something like that."

Lucas gave the Electric-Type a thumbs-up, then ran around Khrista and down the hall.

As the redhead ran off, Khrista exchanged glances with the two Pokemon on her shoulders, then walked around the corner and onto the green warp panel the Poocheyna had mentioned.

In an instant, the teen was standing in a corner of a large room, which was packed from end to end with people - specifically scientists in Khrista's corner of the area.

Khrista let out a sigh of annoyance. "Great. Now, let's see what's going on." She went to Ghost-Type, became invisible, then started to fly up and over the crowd in order to get a better look.

In the center of the room, a rather haggard, unshaven Cyrus stood, conversing with a nervous Charon and the three Commanders from the Sinnoh games - Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter. Cautiously, the teen flew in closer to hear what they were talking about.

"...and send those two up to my office to replace the window," Cyrus was saying.

"Another Articuno attack, sir?" Saturn inquired.

"It may as well have been. Those hailstones are as large as softballs."

Khrista's eyes widened. _"Hailstones? It sounds like the storm outside has begun to unleash its fury."_

_Which is very good for us__,_ Mist noted. _T__he tower will be taken out much more quickly this way._

_"Well, yeah, but we still have a long way to go."_ Khrista turned her attention away from the Galactics, her eyes scanning for anyone familiar who might still be under Cyrus' control.

_I see Silver!_ Mist exclaimed. _He's surrounded by a group of Galactics...and it looks like he's annoyed._

Khrista frowned. _"Annoyed?... Let's get a closer look."_ She flew over in the direction Mist had pointed out, finding Silver in and among the Galactic goon group in the northwest corner of the room. Cautiously, the teen positioned herself above the red-headed Trainer, then reached out with her mind to see if she could make contact with him.

Below, Silver suddenly stiffened as Khrista created a temporary telepathic link between them. _Who's in my head?_ he demanded.

_"A friend,"_ Khrista responded.

There was a mental snort in response. _Yeah, sure. Prove that I can trust you._

Khrista frowned, then after glancing ant Pikachu, stated, _"You're the son of Giovanni, but you didn't really figure it out until when Deoxys came to Earth and got involved with Rocket by accident. Said Deoxys also considers himself Red because he picked up the Trainer's DNA on the way out of the Rocket lab."_

_...That just proves you're a stalker. Try again._

Mist giggled. _Talk about your rivalry, silly!_

Khrista's eyes widened. _"Shoot, I'd forgotten about that!"_

Below them, Silver had started to look around for the source of the voice, being careful not to get any attention from the Galactics around him. _...Rivalry? Since when did I have a rivalry with you?_

_"I often called you 'Hairball' for no particular reason."_

Silver stiffened again.

_"Even after seeing your Trainer Card and learning your name,"_ Khrista added.

_...That was annoying. Do you realize how embarrassing that was?_

_"Even worse than the Wanted posters Gold put up?"_

The Jhoto Trainer shuddered at the memory. _What do you want to talk to me for?_

_"I wanted to make sure you weren't under their control. How come you aren't?"_

Silver glanced upward slightly, but he couldn't see where Khrista was because she was staying invisible. _The Galactics have been keeping me hostage so that my father cooperates. Apparently, the Rockets are partially immune to mind control._

Pikachu frowned. _It could have something to do with the Masked Man and his Neo-Rocket group._

_Perhaps._ Silver frowned. _A Pikachu and an Eevee accompanied by a Legendary..._

_"Not quite, I'm afraid,"_ Khrista responded quickly. _"I'm no Legendary, and I'm not a complete Pokemon, either."_ Seeing the confused look on the Trainer's face, she continued, _"I'll explain later. The Underground has probably been on the attack since dawn, and the hail only makes me want to speed things up."_

_Underground?_ Silver repeated.

Khrista nodded, knowing full well that Silver wouldn't see it anyway. _"Yup. Free Trainers, Gym Leaders, and Elite Four members who managed to slip away from Cyrus before he could gain control of them. I, though from another world, am one of their number."_ The teen looked out over the crowd, catching sight of Matthew's little brother Collin standing nearby. _"When to get the chance, start attacking the Galactic goons and freeing kids that you recognize. I'm going to go around and do the same."_ Khrista moved from where she had been above Silver's head, catching sight of the frown that graced the Trainer's features. _"Don't bother trying to look for me. I'll reveal myself soon enough."_ With that, she flew over to where Collin stood.

As Khrista approached Collin, she stopped short upon seeing Matthew, who was standing next to his brother. Both boys looked like they had their sights set on the Galactics and scientists in the room, whether to not they had Pokemon on them.

_"Steady,"_ the teen told the both of them, causing Collin's blond hair to start to raise in alarm, his blue eyes wide. _"Wait until the most opportune time."_

A smirk came across Matthew's face. _Right, sure. Says the trigger happy kid who always fired off her Pokemon's most powerful move first._

Khrista glared at her friend, crossing her arms over her chest. _"Take them out as fast as possible - that's my strategy."_ She glanced at the seven-year-old. _"Relax, Collin. It's Khrista, who happens to be using telepathy. I'll tell you about what happened later."_

Collin upon hearing this, seemed to relax slightly, but his hair remained in its unusual spiky position. _All right. You'd better remember that._

_"I will,"_ Khrista responded. _"Any idea what's going on?"_

_I have an inkling._

The three turned to look to Matthew's right, catching sight of Joshua, his arms folded over his chest.

_Cyrus is probably going to ask around to see if anyone has access to a Cresselia, seen my cousin, get progress reports out of the brainwashed kids, of figure out a way to stop a storm,_ the boy stated. _The Underground should be setting off alarms within a few minutes - despite what most people say, those Plasma grunts are no fools._

No sooner had the words faded from their minds than an alarm blared throughout the entire room. At the same time, somewhere above them, the building started to shake vigorously.

While Cyrus looked around nervously, fear and surprise clear on his face, Khrista grinned at Joshua. _"Now?"_

Her cousin nodded. "Now."

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

Lance was relieved to have four Rayquaza with him out by the roof of the tower. Although the hailstones and lightning were helpful, the Dragon Trainer didn't want to think about the damage the freakish weather would have to the Pokemon and their Trainers.

As soon as Azelf had received the signal, the Flying Pokemon had attacked the tower with a ferociousness that was rarely seen except for in the wild when Pokemon defended their territory. The hail, which had started a few hours before, had taken out what guns the tower had for outer defenses. Unfortunately, when the Rayquaza had stuck their heads out of the cave on Mt. Coronet, the hail became like rubber balls, bouncing off the tower with the same sort of flexibility.

_"Master Lance!"_

The Dragon Trainer turned his head, catching sight of Corza. "What is it?"

_"Azelf reports that the Underground had run into seem trouble,"_ the Rayquaza explained. _"We must draw some attention to ourselves - more than we already have - so that the forces might become less."_ He nodded to his brethren, who were positioned at the four corners of the tower. _"We are prepared to unleash a simultaneous Draco Meteor, if need be. Will you allow us to?"_

Lance frowned slightly. "Although it is a powerful attack, that move will leave you greatly weakened." He looked down at his ride - his Dragonite - who seemed to have gained in interest in something. "What is it?"

The Dragon/Flying-Type pointed downward, at a square rectangle of light that was the only artificial illumination in the area. "It seems as though a window was knocked out by the storm. Perhaps we need not tear the roof off."

Red, who had been flying nearby on his Aerodactyl, Aero, nodded in agreement. "But that doesn't mean that our Pokemon can't have a little fun with taking off as many pieces of the tower as they can." He grinned. "What do you say, Aero? Are you up to it?"

The ancient Pokemon let out a snort of amusement. "Please. This shall be no difficulty for a flyer such as me. You go and have fun inside. I shall join you after I dig my way in." Aero then flew down to the open area, dropped Red off, then flew off to join the other Pokemon who were wreaking havoc on the surrounding area. The Kanto Trainer was soon joined by Sapphire, who let her Tropius run wild, Brendan, who allowed his Pellipper to cut loose, and twin Trainers from Unova, whose Unfezants were soon seen whirling Air Slashes at the tower's walls.

Red released Pika from his PokeBall and grinned at his fellow Trainers. "Let's go."

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

_"Azelf reports that there are Trainers entering the building!"_ Mesprit called out.

"About time!" Gary declared. "Blastoise, we need this place cleared out! Move it!"

The giant Water Starter grunted in response, then charged down the corridor ahead of them, blasting water at every Plasma grunt and Pokemon that tried to get in the turtle's way.

_"How did they get in?"_ Mewtwo inquired, unceremoniously tossing an unconscious Watchdog aside.

_"Lance's Dragonite saw a shattered window - the one at Cyrus' office, to be exact,"_ the Being of Emotion explained. _"It was probably taken out by the hailstorm. Red and a few other Trainers went inside not long after this was discovered."_

Mew's clone nodded in approval, then put up a Barrier behind him so that a Plasma grunt running up from behind would be knocked out by the sudden stop. _"Good. These Plasma grunts are beginning to get on my nerves."_ He looked in the direction Blastoise had gone, something flying above him moving at the edge of his vision, but he ignored it. _"We'll have to move fast if we want to get up there before the Galactics get down here."_

Gary nodded in agreement. "Right. Go, Arcanine!" Once the Fire-Type had been released from his PokeBall, he told the Pokemon, "Go ahead and make us some cover with Blastoise. We want to get the jump on whatever's ahead and scare the day lights out of them."

Arcanine nodded. "It shall be done." The Fire-Type then took off down the hall, joining the Blastoise in a matter of seconds.

Gary nodded to Mesprit and Mewtwo. "Let's keep moving. There's more Pokemon waiting to get up here."

Mesprit chuckled. _"Don't I know it!"_ She looked back at the hole, where Professor Birch stood guard with Professor Oak and the Kanto Professor's Dragonite. _"Bring on the rest of the first wave!"_


	65. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

_"All right - I'm taking it public."_

Khrista rose above the crowd, turning her gaze away from Joshua, Collin, and Max, a sinister look crossing her face as she looked a jittery Cyrus over.

**_"Cyrus,"_** she telepathically called out in a sinister tone that only ghosts could possibly have. **_"Where are you?"_**

Just as Joshua had predicted, the Galactic leader was certainly not himself after what Darkrai and the storm were doing to him psychologically. Cyrus practically jumped out of his socks at the sound of Khrista's mental voice. The rest of the (basically) free-minded people in the room were also disturbed by the nightmarish tone.

"W-who are you?" Cyrus demanded, looking about wildly. "W-w-where are you?"

Khrista smirked, knowing full well that what she was going to do would probably out her in every Galactic grunt's gun range.

The teen flickered herself into view, Pikachu and Mist still on their respective shoulders. **_"It's me, Cyrus. You remember me, right?"_**

Cyrus seemed to grow paler with every word she spoke, but Khrista put that up as being frightened because of her sudden appearance, as well as the laughter she was barely keeping in check. Pikachu and Mist were also keeping blank, straight faces.

Saturn backed away from the spectacle, then whispered something into a nearby grunt. The Galactic, after shooting the Commander a look of horror, disappeared into the crowd. Khrista, however, didn't bother to notice this.

**_"Why are you forcing these Trainers to do something against their nature, Cyrus?"_**Khrista continued. **_"If they knew what reality you have brought them to, they would reverse this nightmare in an instant. Even now, those under your command are slipping away..."_**

"Silence!" Cyrus ordered, taking notice of the looks that were being exchanged by those around him. "I will not tolerate this insolence!"

Khrista floated closer in. **_"And what of those who were never under your control? Either way, your rule will fall. Face facts, Cyrus - your 'perfect world' never truly existed."_**

That was the signal Khrista had been working towards. Within mere seconds after the words had faded from everyone's ears, there was a clamoring of voices that began to echo around one area of the room. With each moment that past, the noise became steadily stronger, eventually filling the air with it.

"All right, guys!" Joshua shouted. "You want to get the Galactics back for what they did? Let's get 'em!"

The previously-controlled kids and Pokemon charged at the Galactics and scientists that stood on either side of them. At the same time, Pikachu and Mist leapt off Khrista's shoulders, and the Pokemon in their PokeBalls on her belt came out. These Pokemon then started to attack any Galactic grunt that came too close, while Khrista herself grabbed Cyrus by the front of his shirt and lifted him up above the chaos.

**_"There are always good guys to take out the bad guys,"_** Khrista mentally growled. **_"Never forget that, lest you try something like this again."_**

"Look out!"

Khrista was fired in the back by something she hadn't been expecting, causing the teen to cry out in pain and drop her hostage. As the strange attack wrapped itself around Khrista's body, restraining her with red energy bonds, Cyrus got up from the ground, a sinister look on his face.

"About time you got here," he told someone behind Khrista. The teen turned to look at who Cyrus was speaking to, her eyes widening upon seeing the figure standing there.

Ash, still under the Red Chain's control, was generating the red beam of energy that was now holding Khrista in place. Standing beside him were Charon and Saturn.

"I was detained by grunts who wanted assistance in a possible attack from outsiders," the Trainer stated flatly.

"Don't worry about them," Cyrus responded, much to Khrista's surprise. "It's her that I wanted."

Khrista gritted her teeth and tried to break free of the bonds that held her, only to yell in pain when they dug into her instead. "And why is that?"

Cyrus gave an evil smile. "You and your friend have been a thorn in my side because you were not put under my control. If I get you, he will soon follow." He nodded to Ash. "Do it."

Although Ash didn't move, Khrista could sense that something had changed in the energy that held her in place. Something that was horribly wrong.

As her body refused to continue struggling against her bonds, Khrista realized what was going on. She was getting the Ketchum Treatment.

Becoming desperate, the teen tried to change her Type to something else, in order to try and break free. Her mind began to move at a mile a minute as she tried to find something, _do_ something, that could help her break free.

As Khrista began to black out, something clicked, and her vision went white.


	66. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

"Flare! Get over here!"

The Flareon looked down the hall, catching sight of Vapor standing in front of an open lab door. "What is it, brother? Find something?"

"A room filled with caged Grass-Types!" Vapor's tail started to wag impatiently. "I'm going to need your help freeing them."

Flare grinned. "It would be my pleasure." He bounded over to where Vapor stood, then walked into the darkened lab.

Inside, there were cages arranged in rows at the back of the lab, the larger ones being in the back, and the smaller in the front.

"Hey!" Vapor called. "Are you guys all right?"

The Pokemon in the cages jumped up in alarm upon hearing the Water-Type's voice.

"Is that a Vaporeon I hear?" asked an Ivysaur cautiously.

"He's not the only one," Flare answered. "I'm Flare, and he's Vapor. We're here to bust you guys outta here!"

In the back row of cages, a Meganium and a Leafeon who shared a cage looked at each other in surprise.

"Flare?" the Leafeon called. "Vapor? Is that you?"

Flare's ears twitched, and his eyes widened. "Who else could it be, Leaf? We already told you guys who we are." He nodded to Vapor. "Let's get to work."

"You know the drill," was Vapor's response.

Flare nodded. "All right, Grass-Types - unless you want to get burned, I suggest you stand as far away as possible from the bars." He positioned himself so that he was in a direct line with the bars facing the lab, then unleashed a Flamethrower that flew across the cages and began to heat up the metal cylinders that kept the Grass-Type Pokemon restricted. It wasn't long before the metal had become white hot.

"My turn!" Vapor called as Flare stopped the stream of flames. "Keep back - who knows what the heated metal is going to do. Hydro Pump!"

A torrent of water blasted across the cages, suddenly cooling the metal, causing it to groan and bend from the pressure and the sudden temperature change. Within seconds, the bars had snapped and been blown to the other side of the lab.

Vapor stopped the water attack and stretched. "Ahh...it's been a while since I'd helped in a breakout. Next!"

"Way ahead of you," Flare responded, motioning to the already white hot bars in the second row.

Vapor grinned. "Perfect!" He bounded over and blasted the next row, freeing the Meganium and Leaf.

"Hey, Leaf and Bloom!" Flare greeted. "Been a while, you two."

Leaf promptly tackled the Flareon while Bloom looked on in amusement. "I knew you guys would come and rescue us!"

"It took us a little work to get here, though," Vapor pointed out. "And there's more than just us, too."

Elaine dashed into the lab, her eyes wide with alarm. "Guys, we have a problem. Khrista's going to be in big trouble!"

"What?" Bloom asked, startled. "What do you mean?"

"I sensed something in the air - apprehension and fear," the Espeon explained, ignoring Leaf's look of surprise. "And there's a lot of panic emanating from somewhere near her. We have to find Khrista!"

"But how are we going to find her?" Vapor asked. "We don't know anything about this place!"

"But we do," Bloom responded. "They never considered how intelligent we actually are."

Flare let out a growl in annoyance. "Thinking we are truly dumb animals? That isn't right! How do we get to wherever Khrista might be?"

"She's most likely in the center of the tower," Leaf remarked. "Cyrus holds meetings there, so she could have gone there to see what was up." She slipped out of the lab and motioned for the mob of Pokemon to follow her. "The warp panel's this way! Come on!"

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

Joshua had known that something wasn't right the moment the Galactic grunt had slipped out of the room. The teen had quickly handed out what "tech bombs" he had (those cameras, despite being stealthy, were quite bulky). The boy then steeled himself for an attack from whatever was going to come. The arrival of the crowd of Pokemon from all corners of the building, he wasn't surprised, but was rather relieved that they had come as reinforcements.

"Hey, you!" A four-legged creature suddenly landed on Joshua's right shoulder. "What's happening to Khrista?"

"Ash is going to give her the Ketchum Treatment," Joshua muttered. He looked at the creature on his shoulder. "And what are you supposed to be?"

The sky-blue furred creature on his shoulder looked like it could have been an Eevee once. The white, furry collar had become a moving bunch of clouds that went around its neck and moved to the center if its back, where a pair of soft, white wings sprouted from its back. The fluffy tail had become like a Glaceon's, with a forked end like an Espeon's, and the ears and eyes matched a Jolteon's. There were also small tufts of cloud on the back of each of the creature's legs, near the "ankle joint."

"I'm an Angeleon!" the Pokemon responded proudly in female tones. The grin on her face disappeared from her face quickly, however. "Look, Joshua, we need to do something in order to stop the K-T from affecting her!"

Joshua gave the Pokemon a strange look, but decided not to ask her why she knew his name. "We can't do anything but watch and wait," he stated matter-of-factly. "If any of us get in there, we'll be under Cyrus' control in a matter of seconds. My cousin is a mix of both Pokemon and human DNA, so the result for her is unpredictable."

"Ash is being controlled and Pokemon can be controlled," the Angeleon hissed. "I don't think it's going to matter for her."

Joshua's eyes narrowed, and he was about to issue a retort when a bright flash caught his attention. The boy's eyes promptly widened upon seeing that Khrista's form was glowing brightly.

The Pokemon on his shoulder let out a gasp of surprise. "What's happening to her?"

Joshua shook his head slightly. "Unpredictable," he murmured. "I think her Pokemon half...is evolving."


	67. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

The fighting that had been going on between the kids and the Galactics ceased as soon as the combatants noticed what was happening to Khrista. Cyrus was especially nervous, as well as unsure of what was going on.

Above the crowd, Khrista's glowing form changed only slightly: two triangular shapes came out of the top of her head, and a long shape seemed to emerge from the teen's lower back. The red energy that he'd kept her bound and tethered to Ash was suddenly absorbed into her, forcing the Kanto Trainer to sever his connection to the energy. There was another flash, and the light was siphoned off Khrista's form in a shower of sparks, revealing the changes that had taken hold.

The teen still looked like she had before the strange light, only her shirt had gone from the Ghost-Type shade to the Psychic-Type shade, and for good reason: the teen had obtained the ears and tail of a Mew, and she now simply floated in the air, still unconscious.

"What happened to her?" the Angeleon asked Joshua, concerned.

"Don't know," the boy murmured in response.

Cyrus, who had backed away from the girl apprehensively, approached her now with caution. When Khrista didn't stir from her floating fetal position, the Galactic Leader became more bold, and circled her with an evil grin on his face.

"Something is wrong, Master," Ash called out, causing everyone to look at the Trainer in surprise.

Cyrus sent the boy a suspicious look. "What do you mean?"

"Her mind is blocked. You will need a spoken password of some sort."

Joshua's eyes widened while Cyrus frowned.

"Password?" Cyrus repeated. "What do you mean, password? I didn't have to deal with this with you."

"She is part Pokemon, Master. Something must have happened during the process."

"She's also from another world," Saturn muttered. "That..._thing_ probably rendered her useless."

Joshua frowned slightly, glancing at the Angeleon, who looked like she was ready to take out Cyrus when she had the chance. He decided to take a chance.

While Cyrus was contemplating on what sort of password was needed, the boy stepped out of the crowd, the Pokemon on his shoulder watching him in confusion and alarm.

"Khrista Elizabeth Langstrom!" Joshua called out. "It's me, your cousin! Joshua Joseph Langstrom! Get over here!"

Khrista shuddered suddenly, and her eyes snapped open, revealing multicolored irises. Without saying a word, she uncurled herself and floated over to where Joshua stood, stopping to his left, still hovering.

Cyrus looked at Joshua sharply. "What is this?" he demanded.

"Names give power around here," Joshua replied calmly. "It would make sense that her full name was the password you were looking for." He nodded to Khrista. "Free Ash from the Red Chain that binds him. We'll take care of the others."

-**_Easily done-_** Khrista responded on the public telepathic level. She quickly left Joshua's side. -**_Raichu, Sparkler - I have need of your assistance-_**

The Electric-Types looked at each other, then nodded, bounding off after their Trainer, followed by Bolt, Volt, and Ash's Pikachu.

Joshua then turned his attention to Cyrus, ignoring the looks he was getting from the kids and Pokemon around him. "Get him."

The room seemed to instantly explode with activity as the attackers resumed the battle. Joshua charged Cyrus head-on, prepared to punch the Galactic square in the chest. He had to stop short when Cyrus' Honchkrow appeared in front of him.

"Hey, ugly!" the Angeleon shouted, leaping off Joshua's shoulder. "Come and get me, you overgrown hatbox!"

The crow Pokemon let out an indignant squawk, then took off into the air above the crowd, the Eeveelution following in pursuit.

Cyrus then let out his Houndoom, only for a Vaporeon blasting it away with a Hydro Pump. The Gyrados was met with opposition from a Leafeon and a Jolteon double-teaming it, leaving a Crobat and an Absol to combat Joshua.

"Hey! Need some help, Joshie?"

The boy turned his head, catching sight of a familiar pair of Pokemon. "Yes, I would," he responded, a smile coming across his face. "Alak, you take Crobat. Gangrene, you're got the Absol."

The two Pokemon exchanged mischievous smiles, then got in front of their Trainer, glaring at their adversaries.

_"You can speak to us using my telepathic connection,"_ Alak told Joshua without glancing back.

His Trainer nodded. _Hit the Crobat with Psychic, Alak. Gangrene, take out the Absol with Focus Blast._

"You're going to end this too quickly!" Gangrene complained as she charged up the attack.

"The sooner the planet can go back to normal, the better."

_"Couldn't have said it better myself,"_ Alak agreed. The Psychic-Type's spoons started to glow, and with a quick movement, the Crobat's wings were crushed against the bat's small body. At the same time, Gangrene's attack hit Absol hard, causing the Disaster Pokemon to slide back a little from the force.

Cyrus gritted his teeth in annoyance, then stated, "Bite and Shadow Ball."

_Fire back one of your own, Gangrene. Finish the Crobat, Alak._

_"Done and done."_

Alak flicked his left wrist, and the Crobat, which had been cringing in pain while suspended above ground, suddenly fell to the floor with enough force to almost send it through the floor. The Absol fired off a ball of shadowy energy, Gangrene releasing an identical ball at the same time, causing the two Shadow Balls to explode on contact and dissipate.

_"Crobat is done,"_ Alak reported.

Joshua nodded, taking mental note of the comical swirls that had taken the place of the Crobat's eyes. _Finish off the Absol with a double Focus Blast._

The two Pokemon nodded at once, then charged up and fired on the Dark-Type before Cyrus could utter another attack order.

The Galactic Leader looked at the trio in surprise. "H-how-"

"There's a reason I had these two trained together," Joshua responded calmly. "Alak, you know what to do with him."

The Alakazam nodded, then held up his spoons, releasing psychic waves in Cyrus' direction as he did. Within seconds, the Galactic had collapsed, unconscious.

While Alak was lifting up Cyrus using his Telekinesis, there was a sudden blast of sound from somewhere behind them, the smell of ozone quickly permeating the air. Quickly, Joshua turned around to see what was going on, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Khrista, two Raichu, and three Pikachu were standing in a circle around Ash, a _huge_ column of electricity coming through the upper floors of the tower and hitting the Kanto Trainer.

**_-Enough!-_** Khrista declared, breaking the circle and causing the attack to cease as Ash fell to the ground. **_-_****_The boy is rescued-_** She turned to look over at where Joshua stood, Alak still keeping an eye on a slumbering, twitching Cyrus. **_-The enemy's biggest players have been subdued. All that remains are the minion-goons-_**

Joshua nodded in agreement. "Alak, get yourself and Cyrus out of here and head back to the Underground. Try to find someone who might have stayed behind and tell them what's happened. Darkrai, you go with him."

The Dark-Type Legendary appeared beside Alak. _"Very well. But only because I have to stay close to this one to keep him completely subdued."_ He nodded in Khrista's direction, then faded away into shadow as Alak vanished in a flash of light.

As soon as Cyrus had left the building, the fighting quickly ceased. Khrista and Joshua worked with the Pokemon and Trainers to gather up the scientists and Galactic grunts. The boy thought that it was odd that neither Aqua or Magma goons had appeared at all, and that there were very few Rocket members. What remained of the Kanto team also seemed oddly relieved to have someone telling them that they were under arrest.

As the last of the goons were gathered up, the booming outside of the building began to affect the tower more vigorously.

"It's the Rayquaza!" Red called out as the others looked about in confusion. "They're going to make the entire tower collapse! We need to get out of here!"

**_-All Psychic-Types, grab as many Pokemon and humans as you can and Teleport yourselves out of here!-_** Khrista called out. She herself then Teleported a couple groups of Galactics and scientists, only to suddenly cry out when her Pokemon features disintegrated in a shower of sparks, and the teen fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Khrista!" Raichu called out in alarm, rushing over to the fallen teen. An instant later, Mewtwo and Mew were hovering over Khrista, Ash being levitated by Mewtwo's power not very far away.

_"She has over exerted herself,"_ Mewtwo noted as Mew lifted Khrista's form with Telekinesis. _"A few days' rest will do her some good."_ Turning his attention to the Pokemon and people that remained after the Psychic-Types had left with those they could take, the Legendary stated, _"Mew and I are more than capable of Teleporting all of you out of here. All I ask is that you got as close to us as possible and don't more from your spot until we say so."_ The two Pokemon were instantly surrounded by a large group, each person wanting to get as close to the Legendaries as possible.

"Stay calm!" Red shouted. "A mob is not going to do us any good right now." Miraculously, all movement ceased at the sound of his voice.

Mewtwo nodded in approval. _"Mew. Now."_ At once, the two Psychic-Types began to glow, and a pink-and-blue bubble expanded around the group as the ceiling above began to crumble. Just as a gigantic piece was about to pierce the energy dome, the group disappeared from the tower.


	68. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

The humans and Pokemon were still getting their bearings down in the Fields when Cyrus' citadel of torture fell back - away from where the Underground hid and into the remains of the forest that had once surrounded Lake Verity.

Rayquaza nodded in approval at the wreck down below. _"There."_ He looked at Azelf. _"They got out?"_

The Being of Willpower nodded in confirmation. _"They left mere seconds before it was knocked down."_ He motioned to the gaping hole that had taken the place of the building's foundation. _"We should go down there and join them, just to be sure that they're all right."_ He flew down the hole, the rest of the Pokemon and Trainers following behind.

_"Uxie! Mesprit!"_ Azelf called, zooming over to where the other Lake Spirits were conversing. _"We did it!"_

_"Indeed we have,"_ Uxie confirmed. _"However, there is something else that still troubles me..." _Motioning for the others to follow, the Being of Knowledge flew off to a secluded area of the Fields, while the rest of the Pokemon and Trainers celebrated their victory, the Pokemon's absence unnoticed. And then they caught sight of the unconscious Ash and Khista.

Lance approached Mewtwo, looking at the two kids with concern. "What happened to these two?"

_"Khrista over exerted herself not long after freeing Ash,"_ Mew explained. _"Both need to recover from the amount of energy they were exposed to. In time, they will awaken and return to everyday life."_

Ho-Oh landed next to the Kanto Legendaries. _"Give them to me - Entei and Pyrus can watch over them, allowing the rest of you to lick your own wounds."_

Mewtwo and Mew exchanged a quick glance, nodded, then transferred Ash and Khrista to the Rainbow Pokemon's back

_"You need not worry,"_ Ho-Oh reassured the watching Pokemon. _"They shall be safe with me."_ With that, the Legendary took off and flew for the Coronet Tunnel.

Joshua, who had been lost in thought after seeing the Lake Spirits go off on their own, didn't flinch or jump when Alak appeared beside him.

_"Dawn and Lucas have the mongrel restrained,"_ the Alakazam stated calmly. _"Darkrai is with them."_

Joshua nodded absently. "Good. Is he still asleep?"

_"Yes. Darkrai is making sure of that."_ The Alakazam scanned the crowd, seeming to take special interest in the nervous looks the Galactics were giving the Underground members - as well as each other. _"It will take quite some time before Cyrus' mistakes will be completely reversed."_

"Yeah," Joshua agreed. "But how long, do you think? That storm is not going to let up anytime soon." As if to prove his point, a hailstone rolled by his feet as lightning flashed overhead.

"The Jhoto Legendaries set up the storm so that the could scorch the earth of Cyrus' work," explained a trainer wearing a baseball cap backwards. The Typhlosion beside him nodded in agreement. "Name's Gold, and this is Exbo. You're Joshua, right? Khrista's cousin?"

Joshua nodded. "That's right. And this is one of my friends, Alak."

_"Greetings," _Alak stated. _"Is there a reason you approached us?"_

Gold smirked. "I've been helping to keep an eye on the Pokemon you and your friends befriended. I fact, one of those Rayquaza is yours." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the four identical Hoenn Legendaries. "It's the blue one."

Joshua's eyes widened. "I never though that a Rayquaza could be that color."

Exbo chuckled. "You'd be surprised at how many Shiny forms there actually are."

Gold nodded in agreement. "Come on - other-world kid or not, I want to see how strong your team is."

Joshua smirked. "I'm up for a challenge."

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

_"Another problem is going to keep things from going back to normal?"_

_"Unfortunately, yes,"_ Uxie confirmed to a surprised Mesprit. _"We may have freed a large portion of people here, but there are still those who will try to free Cyrus at all costs. We're lucky that they have all been gathered in one place."_ He created two holograms, one becoming a location, and the other became a pair of figures. The two figures were what caused Mesprit's and Azelf's eyes to widen.

_"I was wondering why Cyrus didn't summon those two,"_ Azelf remarked. _"He probably left them with instructions in case something happened to him."_

Uxie nodded. _"I warned Ho-oh of what I saw as a possibility, and he has prepared himself accordingly. The Enteis' healing fire shall allow the two to awaken sooner, that we can rescue those that remain under the Red Chain's control. We have to warn the Professors. _Now._"_

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

In a dark cave, high up in a distant mountain off the coast of the shore of Sinnoh, two figures stood unmoving. two voices suddenly echoed in the darkness.

**_-The tower has fallen, and Cyrus has been taken prisoner by those we once swore to protect. While they are still protected by what we have done, their world will not return unless they come to us-_**

**-Those who have come before have failed to beat us, much less harm us. How will these be any different?-**

**_-They have the children. The ones that have flickered in and out of time with great instability. We must exploit that weakness if we are to defeat them-_**

**-The children with the spatial problems. They do not belong to this world. They shall be eliminated-**


	69. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Khrista couldn't tell which was worse: her massive headache, or feeling like she had been drained of all her energy. It felt like she had been weak and in pain for an eternity.

_"Khrista,"_ a voice called out. _"Wake up. Please?"_

Khrista winced a little at the sound of the voice. She felt like she hadn't heard anything in...well, forever. She didn't want to listen to it, but the voice kept repeating her name and the question, so the teen figured that it wouldn't stop until she obliged. With what little strength she had, Khrista slowly opened her eyes, letting out a groan as they came in contact with the light above her. She frowned as soon as she saw the shadowy figures above her.

"Give her some space," another voice stated, causing the shadows to move back. "It's been a while, Khrista."

Khrista blinked for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust. "Joshua? Wh-what -where-"

"You've been out of it for a good two days," her cousin explained. "We're in a makeshift Pokemon Center in the Underground." He grinned. "Cyrus is in solitary confinement just down the hall. Darkrai has been keeping an eye on him."

Khrista's eyes widened at this. "Seriously? A-and Ash, is he -?"

"Still asleep, if you're wondering," answered another voice. Khrista's head turned, and she caught sight of Green's grinning face. "That kid has gone through a lot more than that GigaVolt Red told me you used."

Khrista smiled weakly. "Well, it wasn't just me. Raichu, Sparkler, Bolt, Volt, and Ash's Pikachu helped provide the energy I couldn't." She started to sit up to get a better look of her surroundings, only to flop back down when her head started to spin. "How long before this headache clears up?"

"If you actually manage to eat something, you should recover quickly enough," a Nurse Joy responded as she came into view. "If you children would please leave. I know you want to catch up, but Khrista needs her rest."

Joshua nodded. "Thank you for letting us visit, Nurse Joy."

"It was no problem. You two are both very good Trainers."

As Green and Joshua left, Nurse Joy helped Khrista sit up by propping her up with pillows. The teen was then handed a steaming bowl of soup, causing the teen to give the nurse a curious look.

"We don't want to push you too much," Nurse Joy explained. "If we tried to get you up now, you would probably collapse."

Khrista looked down at the white sheets that covered her person, shifting her legs as she did so. "Yeah, I guess so. But if I had to get out of bed, a pair of crutches or a wheelchair would probably be needed."

"Is suppose so," Joy agreed. "Now, let's see if you have enough strength to eat something."

While Khrista was working on eating the broth without spilling any of it on the sheets, Nurse Joy told her what had been going on the past few days. After the Rayquaza had managed to topple the tower, everyone that had been in Mt. Coronet moved to the Underground. The celebration lasted for all of the first day and finished on the morning of the next, so no one had noticed when Ho-Oh had dropped her and Ash off after having Entei and Pyrus expose them to their healing fire. It was about mid-afternoon by the time Khrista had woken up.

"Wow," Khrista stated when Nurse Joy was done. "Looks like I haven't missed much."

"Some might say otherwise," Joy responded. "A lot of your Pokemon have requested to come in here and meet you, but I've had to turn most of them down - a Rayquaza can't fit inside, much less get his head through a window."

"I suppose not," Khrista agreed. "Who has come in?"

"Your Raichu and Eevee clans, as well as your cousins and Green. Everyone else has been preparing for when the storm lets up."

Khrista's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "The hailstorm is still going?"

"It has moved on from hailstones to artificial fire and brimstone, but yes, it's still going."

"Fire and brimstone? Man, those Jhoto Legendaries can sure cook up storm! Are they trying to scorch the earth or something?"

"I believe so," Nurse Joy answered. "They have been trying to get rid of as much of Cyrus' work as possible."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. But, isn't it all over the world?"

Joy nodded. "The storm started wreaking havoc in Kanto, and is on its way to Unova as we speak."

There was a sudden moan to Khrista's right, causing the teen's head to turn in that direction, her eyes widening in surprise: Ash was beginning to stir.

As Ash started to sit up, Nurse Joy rushed over to a corner of the room and returned a moment later with a large picnic basket. As if Joy had just found an alarm, Ash sat up as stiff as a board, wide eyes watching the basket.

"Where did you get that?" he asked cautiously.

"Your mother gave this to me at noon," Nurse Joy explained. "She claimed that it would wake you up more quickly." She placed it on Ash's bed while Khrista watched his hungry face with amusement.

"It's been _way_ too long since I had any of Mom's cooking," Ash remarked as he opened the basket. Within mere seconds, he had the entire contents of the basket laid out on his bed, with Khrista's wide eyes watching all the food that was removed. The Kanto Trainer, of course, catches sight of this.

"You look like you haven't eaten in days," Ash noted with a smirk.

"Two would probably be more specific," Khrista responded. "We've been out since before Cyrus' tower was destroyed, apparently."

Ash's eyes widened. "The tower was destroyed?"

"And I rescued you with the help of a few Electric-Types, too. One big GigaVolt."

Ash looked like he could have leapt out of his bed right then and there. "A GigaVolt?! I've only heard about that in legends!"

"Well, I'm technically a legend, and I couldn't have done it alone. I needed both my Raichu, both my Pikachu, and your Starter Pokemon, as well." Khrista shrugged. "I ended up fainting from exhaustion afterwards."

Ash motioned to Nurse Joy. "Do you think you could push our beds closer together? It looks like she wants some of my lunch."

"So long as she doesn't eat it too quickly," Joy responded. Upon getting a confirming nod from Khrista, the nurse pushed her bed over to Ash's. "Call me if you two need anything."

After Nurse Joy had left, Ash handed Khrista a plate. "Go ahead. Dig in." With that, the Kanto Trainer took his own suggestion and started heaping food on. Khrista, after placing her soup bowl on a recently discovered tray attached to her bed, did the same.

"So, now that I'm clear of any Red Chain stuff," Ash started, "What's your name?"

"It's Khrista," Khrista responded. "Khrista Langstrom."

"Khrista?" Ash repeated. "That sounds familiar."

"I started in Hoenn and I made it a point to get as full a PokeDex as possible," Khrista recalled. "I recently went through Unova, as well."

The Kanto Trainer frowned slightly. "You wouldn't happen to be related to a Joshua, would you?"

"He's my cousin," Khrista responded. "And he's the only other kid who went though Cyrus' machine without getting brainwashed."

Ash's eyes widened. "I've got to thank him for helping me out. If it weren't for him, Magma might have actually taken over."

Khrista gave him a curious look. "What makes you say that?"

"Maxie had somehow managed to get ahold of a Sceptile and had been training it vigorously," the Kanto Trainer explained. "It was my Sceptile's brother. When Joshua managed to convince it to come to my side, we had more of an advantage when we went after both teams because Cedar knew the insides and outsides of Maxie's hiding place."

"Wow. I never knew that Cedar could have been so instrumental." Khrista's left ear twitched a little. "Did you hear that?"

Ash frowned. "Hear what?" he asked through a mouthful of food.

"It sounds like something small and fast is coming this way..."

Ash glanced at the door, frowning as he did. "How did you hear that? It sounds really faint."

Khrista shrugged. "It probably has something to do with the Pokemon DNA in my system."

Ash gave Khrista a look of shock. "Pokemon DNA? Since when?"

"Since I was the last one to come through," Khrista replied calmly. She eyed the door as the fast footsteps became louder. "The whatever-it-is will be here in three...two..."

A yellow blur blasted through the door way and, leaping onto the picnic basket, stopped short and looked down at Ash, who looked up from his meal cautiously.

"Hey, Pikachu," Ash greeted. "What's up?"

"You've made me worry to death, that's what!" Pikachu responded. "First it turns out that Khrista's half Mew, and now Ho-Oh says you probably absorbed some electricity!"

Ash's eyes widened. "Wait - what happened?"

Khrista frowned. "It sounds like when we hit you with the GigaVolt, your body took in some of the electricity from the attack."

Pikachu nodded. "And now there's some sort of rumor going around that Cyrus could end up making a comeback or something! Whatever it is, we're going to be in big trouble soon enough. There's something in the air that I don't like at all."

Ash and Khrista exchanged a quick glance.

"Have all the Pokemon been accounted for?" Ash finally asked.

"The Elite Four's been taking a survey. If they can find everyone on their 'List of Missing Pokemon,' then we're good."

"Does that list include Legendaries?"

Pikachu frowned slightly. "Legendaries? Probably. Why?"

Ash's eyes narrowed. "There are quite a few Legendaries that aren't on the mainland," he warned. "Dialga and Palkia, for instance."

Khrista's eyes widened, recalling what Mewtwo had told her not long after she had arrived. "That's right. You and the Lake Sprits weren't the only ones to be hit by the Red Chain. The main Legendaries of Sinnoh got it, too!"

Ash nodded grimly. "We need to warn the others, then get a group together and go after them."

"But where are they?" Pikachu asked.

"I think I've got an idea," Khrista responded, frowning slightly. "Are they anywhere near Stark Mountain, Ash?"

"Near it? They live in it!" Ash gave her a strange look. "How'd you know?"

"You're not the only one who wanders to other places in their sleep," Khrista shot back with a smirk. She glanced at Pikachu. "Do you think you could help us sneak past Nurse Joy?"


	70. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Despite having been lying unconscious for two days, Ash and Khrista now had more than enough strength to get out of bed and sneak through the halls. They were just about to leave the Pokemon Center when Nurse Joy caught sight of them.

"What do you two think you're doing?" she asked, causing the two to freeze in their tracks, Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. "You should be in bed, resting!"

"Not with Legendaries trapped in Sinnoh's Battle Frontier," Khrista responded.

Nurse Joy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I wasn't the only person who was hit with the Red Chain," Ash reminded Nurse Joy. "Dialga and Palkia are still out there, and we have to free them before they they come here and rescue Cyrus."

Nurse Joy became pale. "You can't be serious."

_"I'm afraid that he is completely serious,"_ Uxie responded as he came through the Pokemon Center's entrance. _"Dialga and Palkia are still dead loyal to Cyrus, whether we freed Ash or not."_

"So we've got to go and rescue them," Khrista stated matter-of-factly.

Nurse Joy looked concerned, but swallowed her worry. "All right - you two can go. Just don't do anything that exhausts you too quickly."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!"

As the group left the Pokemon Center, Ash's eyes widened as he looked around.

"Quite the set-up you guys have here," he noted.

Pikachu grinned. "Wait 'til you see where the Pokemon get to live!"

_"I'm afraid that will have to wait,"_ Uxie responded. _"We have to find the Pokemon and Trainers that you will want to bring along."_

Khrista nodded. "For my team, Rayquaza is going to be one of the more obvious choices. If we have to fight Dialga and Palkia - and we will - Rayquaza's going to be great on the offensive. Glacier, Raichu, and Flare, too."

Ash frowned slightly. "How can you sound so confident? Do you know their Types?"

"Sure I do! Dialga's a Dragon/Steel-Type, and Palkia's a Dragon/Water-Type." Khrista smirked. "While Dragon-Types would be more than helpful, the Legendaries other weaknesses can be put to our advantage."

"Meaning that I could take out Palkia!" Pikachu realized.

"Exactly," Khrista confirmed. "Let's see...Glacier, Rayquaza, Raichu, Flare... I'll throw in Vapor and Leaf, too."

Ash exchanged looks with Pikachu. "I'll take you, Charizard, Infernape, Gible, Sceptile, and Heracross. Any idea where they might be?"

Pikachu nodded. "Everyone's been hanging out in the Fields. Come on!" He leapt off Ash's shoulder and took off for where the Pokemon were most likely located, Khrista, Uxie, and Ash in pursuit.

"What are 'the Fields'?" Ash asked as they went.

"It's pretty much an area underground that has a controlled environment," Khrista explained. "It's the closest we can get down here to what the world used to be like."

They quickly moved by the stone huts - which gained a curious look from Ash as they passed - and into the Fields, where the began to look for their Pokemon.

Khrista took in a breath, her nose twitching like crazy as she took in the smells of her surroundings. She quickly caught a familiar scent, and, turning her head in the direction the smell was coming from, grinned when she caught sight of the Pokemon that was approaching. "Hey, Ash. I think someone's seen us."

Ash and Pikachu turned their heads, their eyes widening in surprise. A moment later, a familiar Fire/Flying-Type had landed in front of them, roaring and spewing fire.

"About time you got out here!" Charizard exclaimed. "That Nurse wouldn't let me in to see you, Ash!"

Ash chuckled. "You wouldn't be able to fit through the door! What makes you think you could have, even if she let you?"

The fiery dragon scowled, then chuckled, causing the others to laugh as well.

Ash scratched the back of his head, a nervous look on his face as the laughter faded. "Listen, Charizard - I'm going to need your help."

"With what?"

"We need to go to an island off the coast and free Dialga and Palkia," Khrista explained. "You up to it?"

Charizard looked surprised at this, then grinned. "Up to it? You might as well ask a Pidgey if it can fly! I'm so in!"

"Good," Ash stated. "The others I'm looking for are Infernape, Gible, Sceptile, and Heracross. Any idea where they are?"

Charizard nodded. "Yeah, sure - everybody's been doing this big family reunion thing not too far from here. I left when it got too crowded for my liking. Come on." He allowed Ash and Pikachu to climb on, then took off in the direction he had come, leaving Khrista and Uxie behind.

Khrista's gaze scanned the area. "Any idea where I might be able to find my team, Uxie?"

Uxie frowned slightly. _"I sense quite a few large gatherings, Khrista. Your Pokemon could make either one of those groups."_

"Look for Rayquaza, then," the teen suggested. "He could be in one of the groups."

_"Hmmm... No, I'm afraid he is not. All four Rayquaza have taken to sleeping around or near the hole, so as to keep people from getting hurt by coming too close."_

"Right...the Air Lock." Khrista let out a sigh of annoyance. "So, where should we look first?"

"You could try behind you."

Khrista turned to see who was speaking, only to find a sky-blue furred creature with what looked like angel's wings. The creature's voice seemed somewhat familiar...

"Do I know you?" Khrista asked cautiously.

"It's me, Grace the Eevee!" The Pokemon looked at her wings and smiled apologetically. "Or, Grace the Angeleon, now."

"Angeleon?" Khrista repeated. "You don't mean that's the Flying-Type Eeveelution?"

"Yup!" Grace grinned. "The Professors have been looking for me so that they can study my new form a little, but I don't want them to do anything yet. So, I came out here to do a little flying." She pointed with a paw in the opposite direction Ash had gone. "Your Pokemon have been hanging out over that way. Come on!" She took to the air and zoomed off.

"She's fast," Khrista noted. "And she's given me a challenge." She quickly took to the air herself and flew off after Grace, Uxie not too far behind.

"So, how'd you manage it?" Khrista asked after she had caught up. "Evolve, I mean."

"You remember how you mentioned that there was a large collection of feathers in Unova?" Grace asked.

"The ones that fell onto the bridges? Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"There was one feather in specific - the Pretty Wing - that was all but useless for raising stats. That's the only feather that makes up my wings."

Khrista's eyes widened. "Seriously? You evolved by using a Pretty Wing?"

"Well, I had to be holding it when I went through Luminous Spring. I don't know if there are any other qualifications, though."

Khrista smirked. "Well, whatever it is, I'm going to try and find out."

The three soon arrived at the area Grace had mentioned earlier, finding that the Pokemon in Khrista's team were pretty spread out, each Type or species in their own little group.

"Let's go to the Eeveelutions, first," Khrista remarked. "Most of the Pokemon I decided to bring are in that line." She promptly marched over to where the large EeveeClan group was milling around.

Mist was the first one to catch sight of the Trainer. An instant later, everyone else had gathered around Khrista and Uxie, each one wanting to get to talk to the teen first.

"Guys, calm down!" Khrista exclaimed, laughing. "I'll get to talk to all of you, don't worry."

"How long ago did you wake up?" Mist asked.

"A couple minutes ago," Khrista answered. "Ash is up and about, too."

"The Electric Kid?" Jolt inquired. "I've been sensing that Trainer's energy level for some time. It almost feels like when Zapdos is sitting right in the middle of the Square and I'm in my hut."

Khrista's eyes widened. "Seriously? He's got that much electricity in him?"

Jolt nodded. "He's going to need some training, too, or else he's going to end up zapping somebody by accident."

Khrista let out a sigh. "Well, that'll have to wait until after we go after Dialga and Palkia."

The entire group froze and looked at her in astonishment.

"...Go after Dialga and Palkia?" Glacier repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Ash told me that Dialga, Palkia, and quite a number of Pokemon are being held in or around Stark Mountain," Khrista explained. "If we can't go and get them freed, they're probably going to hunt us down. I've already decided on who I'm going to bring with me to go after them - if you guys want to, of course. I was hoping to bring, out of you guys, Leaf, Glacier, Vapor, and Flare. Any complaints?"

The four mentioned Pokemon looked at each other.

"I don't think I want to go back to fighting just yet," Leaf finally stated. "I've gone through a lot already, and there are some things a Pokemon just can't recover from in a few days."

"But we're good to go," Vapor stated. Glacier and Flare nodded in agreement. "Who else are you planning on bringing?"

"Well, I was hoping to bring along Raichu and Rayquaza," Khrista replied, "but they might want to relax and try to get some time in with their families."

"Why don't you take the rest of us?" an Umbreon asked.

"Because the Legendaries that are over there are mostly Dragon-Types, Umbris," Khrista responded. "And then there are the secondary Types they have, like Water or Steel. I'm trying to prepare for when we go up against the Sinnoh Legendaries."

Umbris glowered. "Fine."

"What about taking me?" Mist piped up.

"NO!" Vapor and Glacier snapped.

"Definitely not after you slipped out without our permission," Glacier added. "Going after a Legendary in your base form? That's asking for an early grave!"

"My sister did it," Grace pointed out. "And Nina did it."

"They had to," Jolt pointed out, "because there was no point in waiting until they had evolved to save their part of the world - the world would have been gone by the time they would have had the chance."

"And then there's the Guild's rules concerning evolution," Elaine added.

Mist frowned. "Well, I want to come along!"

"Perhaps something can be arranged."

Khrista turned to look behind her, catching sight of a familiar Dragonair. "What do you mean, Arius?"

"There is a legend that has been passed down in Blackthorn," Arius explained. "It speaks of an Eevee who wished to become like the dragons."

Mist's eyes widened, as did Khrista's.

"You mean there's a dragon form, too?" Grace asked, surprised.

Uxie nodded. _"I have been aware of this legend for quite some time. It spoke of how the Eevee picked up discarded scales and teeth, which fused to his form."_

Arius nodded. "Dragon Scales and Dragon Fangs may not be as common anymore, but I do have my own supply of she'd scales and loosened teeth." The Dragonair suddenly disappeared in a blast of air, returning a moment later with a Dragon Scale and a Dragon Fang. "You will need them both in order to complete the transformation."

Mist frowned. "Both of them? How will that work when I can only carry one of them at a time?"

"That you will have to figure out for yourself." Arius slid his tail under both of the items and tossed them in Khrista's direction. When the teen caught them, the Dragonair added, "The storm will most likely be moving on soon, so Rayquaza will be open to join your team."

"How did you - oh, yeah," Khrista interrupted herself. "You Dragonair and your weather-sensing abilities. Do you know what Raichu's up to?"

Arius nodded. "She has locked Bolt and Volt out of their hut. Something about 'unfinished business' with Sparkler."

Khrista's eyes widened. "And so, the family grows," she noted. "Jolt, are you up to taking her place?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could come along," Arius stated before Jolt could answer. "I know you like the form I am in now, but there is something to be said for having actual arms and legs."

Khrista smirked. "Very ambitious of you. What do you think, Jolt? Do you mind if I take him along?"

Jolt shook his head. "Amp wanted to talk to me about a training regimen for Electric-Types when you're not in the area. In fact, I'd better get going - he wanted to start talking about it as soon as Bolt and Volt were available. Which, if what Arius said is true..."

"Hey, Jolt!"

"There's Amp," Khrista noted. "I'll catch you later, then."

"Be careful. From what we've heard, the Frontier Ruins aren't a recommended place to go to." With that, the Jolteon took off, and the other Eeveelutions Khrista hadn't chosen for her team drifted off to other groups of Pokemon.

_"So, you just need to get Rayquaza and everyone's PokeBalls, then?"_ Uxie inquired.

Khrista nodded. "And then we have to meet up with Ash and figure out when we're going to leave."

"Why not in a few hours?" a voice asked.


	71. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

"Joshua, how did you know what Ash and I were planning on doing?" Khrista demanded.

"I saw you two run out of the Pokemon Center with Uxie and Ash, so I figured that something was up," Joshua responded with a shrug. "Plus, you still have the device Green gave you in your ear."

Khrista reached for her left ear, but thought better of removing it; she would give it back to Green later. "So, you trailed me to figure out what I was doing."

Joshua nodded. "If you're going to go after Dailga and Palkia, I'd recommend taking more than just six Pokemon."

Mist gave Joshua a look of surprise. "More than six? That's not legal."

"We're going to be facing a pair of Legendaries that are drunk on power," Joshua responded. "We need to be as prepared as possible, so I'd suggest eight Pokemon."

"Eight?" Khrista repeated. "Why eight?"

Joshua smirked. "Why else? You're got a couple Starters who could be really helpful in this situation. You know who I'm talking about."

Khrista's eyes widened, and turning to look at the other groups of Pokemon that were scattered about the area, called, "Swamp! Raze! Get over here!"

At the sound of her voice, all conversation stopped, and the Pokemon looked at her in surprise.

"What is it?" Swamp asked as he moved over to where Khrista stood. Raze followed a moment later.

"Despite having captured Cyrus, there are still a few things that we need to take care of," Knrista explained. "Dialga and Palkia still need to be freed, and Ash and I are going to take care of that. I'm going to need both of your help in this."

Raze's eyes widened. "Go and take out two Legendaries? That's asking a lot from us."

Swamp snorted. "No, it's not. We've faced Legendaries before we can and will do it again. I'm in."

Khrista grinned at her first Pokemon, then turned her gaze to the Blazikan, as did the her entire team. The Fire/Fighting-Type, for all the strength he had on the battlefield, quickly gave way to the pressure.

"All right, all right!" Raze relented. "I'll come! But...where are we going?"

"The Frontier Ruins," Vapor replied.

Khrista nodded in agreement, not bothering to ask why the area was called that. "Ash said the two Legendaries were hiding out in Stark Mountain. We're going to fly there by Rayquaza, so that the storm won't harm us as we head out." She looked over at Joshua. "I suppose you want to come along."

"I want to come, too!" Grace called out.

Joshua nodded. "I already have a team prepared - Trainers have been challenging me left and right, so I've been carrying Pokemon with me at all times." He motioned to a belt of PokeBalls around his waist. "Raichu and the others have been keeping an eye on their own ever since you were brought to the Underground this morning."

Khrista glanced down at her waist, realizing only then that she didn't have any of the red and white spheres on her.

"I've been holding onto these for you, too," Joshua added, handing her a familiar red device and a red backpack. "Birch gave me mine this morning." He motioned to the dark green backpack on his shoulder.

"Thanks," Khrista stated, putting her PokeDex in the backpack and throwing it over one shoulder. "So, who are you bringing with you?"

"That, other than Corza, isn't your business." Joshua nodded to Uxie. "Do you have access to the PokeBall storage facility?"

Uxie's tails twitched, and eight PokeBalls suddenly appeared in front of the legendary. The spheres were then moved to Khrista's belt, the remaining two being caught out of the air by the teen.

_"Professor Rowan is aware of want you are doing,"_ Uxie warned. _"He asks that you try to be careful and come back alive."_

"Typical Professor," Khrista noted. "We're going to have to meet up with Ash yet. I saw him go off with Charizard to the east. Maybe -"

"Hey, Khrista!" Everyone looked up, catching sight of Ash on his Charizard, Pikachu sitting on the fire dragon's head.

"Hey!" Khrista called back. "You ready to go?"

"Yup! Meet you at the Hole!" Charizard grinned down at Khrista as they passed.

Khrista laughed at the unspoken challenge. "Oh, you're so on!" She started to rise up into the air, the seven Pokemon she had chosen disappearing into their PokeBalls.

"You're not getting there first!" Grace called out. A moment later, the Angeleon zoomed off, leaving Khrista and Joshua in the dust.

Khrista smirked. "Oh no, you don't." Dropping the two PokeBalls that weren't connected to her belt in an outer pocket of her backpack, she zoomed after the Pokemon ahead of her.

"You're pretty fast in the air," Khrista noted as she caught up to Grace. "How long have you had to practice?"

"I evolved right before we attacked, so Shaymin had to give me a quick take-off lesson," the Angeleon explained. "I've been learning on the fly ever since."

"Which means you don't really know what sort of attacks you have," Khrista guessed.

Grace shook her head. "I've got some ideas, but I won't know if they're really moves until later."

The two reached the Hole at the same time, only to find that Ash - and, surprisingly - Joshua, Maya, and Tina were already there and waiting for them.

"How did you get here ahead of me?" Khrista asked, frowning at her cousins.

"I asked Uxie to teleport me here," Joshua replied with a shrug. "He left a moment later to take care of business of his own."

"We got a ride with Ash," Maya added, grinning up at the Charizard.

The Fire/Flying-Type nodded. "Are we finally ready to go?"

"Joshua and I still need to get Rayquaza and Corza," Khrista responded, motioning to the four Lgendaries high above their heads. "If we don't get even one of them, we won't survive the trip over and back."

_"Indeed, you would not."_ Corza lowered himself to the Trainer's eye level. _"Every time the storm appears to let up, it comes back in force. If you wish to take all of us, I'm afraid that some will be forced to stay behind."_

"All we need are you and Rayquaza," Joshua responded. "May and Tina are small enough to hitch a ride on the other Pokemon without worry of overcrowding."

"Is there room for me?" An Areodactyl landed beside Ash, and Red jumped off. "Green told me what you guys were up to. Did you really think you could take out those two Legendaries by yourselves?"

"We've done it before," Maya pointed out. "Our home world -"

"I know what you kids are capable of," Red stated. "But this is the real deal, not some game. Are you really sure that you're up to this?"

"Yes," Khrista and Ash stated.

Red let out an annoyed sigh. "Professor Oak was right - stubbornness does run in my family," he muttered under his breath. "I'm coming along with you guys to make sure my brother doesn't do anything stupid."

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed, indignant.

Khrista let out a sigh. "Very well. But I don't think that any more people would be a great idea. We could attract more attention than we want, so we're probably pushing it with four." In her left ear, the teen heard someone grumble under their breath.

Red shrugged. "I'm still coming." He jumped onto Aero's back. "So, are we going or not?"

"We're definitely going," Khrista responded. She flew up onto Rayquaza's head and sat down. "We're going to have to move fast if we want to rescue the Legendaries ASAP."

Joshua nodded in agreement as Corza lowered his head completely, allowing the boy to climb on. "Let's go."

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

Cyrus awoke from his dreams with a gasp, sweating profoundly because of the nightmare he had just gone through. Within seconds, however, he had regained his bearings and realized that he was in a position that he didn't want to be in, Legendary fail-safe or not. Quickly, the Galactic began to search his pockets for the device he had obtained long ago, in case a situation like this arose.

It didn't take long to find the device - the Trainers hadn't bothered to search him, apparently - but Cyrus couldn't find his PokeBalls. Worry - an unusual emotion - overcame him, but he quickly shook it off. Pokemon were mere tools, after all - what did he care if they had been lost?

Not daring to let himself think another emotional thought, Cyrus pressed down on the device, releasing a flash of light that got Darkrai's attention. However, by the time the Dark-Type Legendary had reached Cyrus' cell, the Galactic was gone.


	72. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

"Whoo-hoo!" Khrista exclaimed, her hands in the air as Rayquaza zoomed through the sky at high speed. "This is awesome!"

_"I knew you would enjoy it,"_ Rayquaza responded, a large grin on his face. _"Legendary or not, you can't fly this fast. Besides Latias, no one can fly as fast as a Rayquaza. We can cross the world in two days without stopping."_

"Exactly why I like to fly on you whenever I get the chance in the games," Khrista stated. "You guys are awesome Legendaries."

Rayquaza let out a growl of pleasure at this. _"You're saying that because you met me first."_

"True, but that still doesn't hinder my enjoyment of watching you in battle." Khrista glanced back at Maya, who was looking Grace's wings over in awe. "You two okay back there?"

"Other than a little tired from flying, I'm fine," Grace responded.

"Do you think we can go a little faster?" Maya asked.

_"No,"_ Rayquaza responded._ "Charizard and Aero can only go so fast with riders, whether we have a Tailwind or not. I'm not going any faster than a quarter of Latios' speed."_

"Besides. Any faster and we could all be knocked off," Khrista added.

_"Indeed."_

Charizard flew up beside Rayquaza's head, Ash waving his hat to get their riders' attention. "We're getting pretty close, guys! I can see the volcano's smoke from here."

"And the ash has been going up my nose for the last minute!" Charizard added. A sneeze followed soon after, a ball of fire zooming from his mouth at high speed toward the sea below. "It's going to take me a little while to get used to that again."

Khrista smirked at the sight of the sneeze Charizard had produced, but it faded quickly. "I hope whoever's on the island didn't see that."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Ash responded carelessly. "If what happened in the tower affected everyone under Cyrus' command, Giovanni won't try to hold us back."

"Giovanni?" Red caught up with Ash, riding Aero. "He's down there?"

Ash nodded. "Cyrus wanted him to be as isolated as possible, so he dropped him on the island."

"Leaving him alone to scheme?" Khrista asked, surprised. "Not the best idea."

Corza came up to the Trainer's left, Joshua and Tina on the Legendary's head. _"He was probably ordered not supposed to. If anything, he would have started scheming when the tower collapsed."_

"We'll soon find out," Joshua responded, looking ahead. "We're there."

Khrista looked down from her perch as Rayquaza started to circle the island from above. "When Vapor and Jolt called this place 'Frontier Ruins,' they weren't kidding," she realized. "It looks like Heatran blew Stark Mountain's top!"

Grace peered down, eyes widening. "There are Legendaries wandering about too! I can see a Latios taking laps around the island!"

Rayquaza let out a growl._ "It's Rosa's brother, Triple S. One of the first that got caught, ironically."_

Maya frowned. "Triple S? What kind of name is that?"

"SuperSonicSpeed wouldn't fit in the blanks," Khrista supplied sheepishly. "I'd had a but of a fan girl reaction when I saw his blue coloring -"

"That's not important right now," Aero stated quickly. "Where shall we land?"

Ash pointed down to an area of the island that still looked habitable, even though a large, crumbling building towered over it. "We have to land in the Fight Area, or else we'll attract a lot of unwanted attention from the Legendaries. We can meet up with the Rocket grunts there."

Khrista nodded. "Right. Down we go, then." Rayquaza complied instantly, going down in a gentle descent, the others following suit.

As the group landed on the island, Pikachu's ears twitched. "Something's wrong," he muttered. "It feels too quiet."

Pika, who was also sitting on his specific Trainer's shoulder, nodded in agreement. "Like the entire island's been evacuated."

"Or everyone is in hiding," Aero noted. "Khrista and Joshua - return your steeds to their PokeBalls. They might have scared the locals."

Khrista exchanged a quick glance with Rayquaza, who reluctantly complied, disappearing into his Master Ball, which was located on her belt in the "1st Pokemon" position. Corza disappeared twice as quickly.

"Now to find the Rockets," Maya remarked. She looked around, ears twitching, then asked, "Where do you guys think they're hiding?"

"Probably not the Tower," Khrista responded, motioning to the crumbling ruin. "It doesn't look like it could even stand a bird Pokemon landing on it."

"They left it up as a symbol," Ash explained. "Kind of like 'this'll happen to you if you don't listen'." He motioned to the small one-story huts that surrounded it. "There's most likely where the Rockets are."

"Let's check it out, then," Charizard suggested.

Khrista was starting to move towards the huts when Red stated, "I've got a better idea." The Kanto Champion leaned into his brother's right ear and whispered something that only Ash, Pika, and Pikachu could hear. When he was done, all four of them exchanged grins that carried a secret joke about them.

Joshua looked between them, confusion clear on his face. "What are you going to do?"

"You'll see," Red responded. "How straight of a face can you keep?"

"I can keep one, but not for very long," Khrista admitted.

"Well, you won't have to keep one for long," Ash stated. "We just need a way to bring them out." He and Red quickly returned Charizard and Aerodactyl into their PokeBalls, then exchanged another grin.

Joshua's eyes widened. "Now I see what you guys are up to." He smirked, the smile vanishing a moment later. Red and Ash's grins vanished in the same way, and the Pikachu in their shoulders obtained blank looks.

Khrista, as soon as she saw the look on Ash's face, let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, man. You're lucky that I'm not on the blunt end of the stick. You'd end up with a nasty bit of scarrage." She moved to stand to Red's right, then held still as Grace landed on her shoulder. Joshua moved to stand to Ash's left, Maya on his shoulder, and Tina standing by his feet.

When everyone had stopped moving around, Red and Ash looked at each other, nodded, then stepped forward and called out together. "Get out here! Now!"

Rockets started dashing out of the woodwork of the area, each looking haggard, unwashed, and possibly a little undernourished. There were a few Galactic grunts mixed in, as well, looking confused and frazzled as they rushed from one end of the clearing to the other. Khrista's eyes pointed out Giovanni rather quickly - the Rocket leader, although he was still clean-shaven, was wearing a grunt uniform and was followed around by a Skuntank, which looked like it was ready to take him out if the need arose.

When all of the island's inhabitants had been lined up in front of Red and Ash, a Galactic with orange hair instead of green approached them. "What is the meaning of this?" the Galactic demanded. Khrista mentally noted that his shade of hair wasn't normal, figuring that he had been promoted after Cyrus had taken over.

"We were told that there would be no more inspections," the Galactic continued, ignoring the curious spark in Khrista's eyes.

"You're right," Ash responded, a smirk coming across his face. "Take them out."

Pika and Pikachu promptly moved as one, leaping off their respective Trainers' shoulders and landing on two Galactic's chests, releasing a Thunderbolt and taking out the entire group of Galactics.

Red nodded to Khrista. "Take care of the skunk."

Luckily, the teen had already thought up the attack she was going to use and, summoning a giant ball of mud, threw a Mud Bomb at the Skuntank, who failed to dodge the attack when Khrista directed the mud ball's movements with Telekinesis. The mud had been packed together hard enough to knock the Skuntank out in one hit.

While Khrista crossed her arms, the bored look that had been on her face turned into an odd smirk, the Rockets staring at her in astonishment and fear. The teen knew that they were probably considering Grace, as well, and wondering what they had been missing concerning news of the outside world.

"What do you want?" Giovanni inquired, oddly calm despite what had occurred.

"All of you have to get off the island," Ash responded, a serious look on his face. "There's a massive storm coming this way, and you definitely aren't prepared for it."

"It's been raining fire and brimstone on the mainland for the past two days," Red continued. "Your little shelters wouldn't survive."

"We can't leave," a grunt responded. "Not unless you let us leave the way you came."

"I can help you in that department," Khrista stated, stepping forward. "I can teleport you to our headquarters underground."

"You? Teleport?" Giovanni was intrigued by this. "Do you have a Psychic-Type with that kind of power?"

Khrista shook her head. "I throw a Mud Bomb and you haven't guessed? Look - we've got Cyrus imprisoned in our HQ, and we're here to take care of his top dogs before the storm hits and destroys everything in sight. The least we can do for you guys is get you out of here before things get ugly."

The Rocket grunts started to murmur among themselves out of surprise, a minor look of shock on Giovanni's face.

"Cyrus has been defeated?" the Rocket leader finally asked.

Joshua nodded. "His tower collapsed two days ago, when the storm started."

"So, are you going to take my offer or not?" Khrista inquired.

"I want to know how they're going to react," Giovanni stated.

"You'll get food and shelter," Red responded. "We've been keeping an eye on your Pokemon, as well, so if you behave, you might get your team back and be able to take challenges from other-world Trainers. If you do something idiotic, we'll lock you in one of our makeshift prisons."

Giovanni nodded. "Reasonable. All right, girl."

Khrista smirked. "Next stop, the Underground!" She threw a sphere of pink energy at the group, causing them to vanish in a flash of light.


	73. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

"...so you're suggesting that Pikachu might not be the only line to learn Volt Tackle?" Jolt asked. "As much as I'd like to, I find that hard to believe."

The Ampheros he had been conversing with let out a sigh. "Mew told me that some Electric-Types forgot how to teach it to their kids, or even how to learn it themselves. Only the Pikachu kept it going. If we could get a few lessons from Raichu or her kids, we might be able to get more Electric-Types to have our version of the Ultimate move."

Jolt shook his head. "Teaching Starters their Ultimate attack is one thing, but teaching Volt Tackle to Electric-Types is something else. I don't think-" The Jolteon was suddenly cut off when a flash of light briefly illuminated the Square, fading away just as quickly. The two Electric-Types soon found themselves bristling as a familiar figure approached.

"Giovanni!" Amp identified. "What are you doing here?"

"We were just teleported here from that infernal island," Giovanni stated, irritated. "Although I am thankful to them for getting us out, I am curious as to who those two children Ash and Red brought with them were."

"Let me guess..." Jolt muttered. "The girl had brown hair and blue eyes and was wearing a red shirt with a yellow Master Ball, and the boy had hazel eyes with green specs, brown hair, and had a blue shirt on."

"Yes, yes," Giovanni responded. "And the girl's shirt seemed to change color when she threw a Mud Bomb and teleported us here."

"The girl is my Trainer, Khrista, and the boy is her cousin, Joshua," Jolt explained. "They were both integral in taking out Cyrus." He motioned with his head over to the Professors' lab. "Oak is going to need to know that you've arrived. Follow me, and don't wander off. The Trainers around here aren't the kind to be taken lightly."

"They stripped us of our Pokemon," a grunt muttered. "I don't think our causing trouble matters at this point." He and the rest of the Rocket members followed Jolt over to the lab, muttering and grumbling in agreement.

"Hey, Prof!" Jolt barked as he entered the lab. "Khrista sent somebody over!"

Professor Oak looked up from his work in alarm. "_What_?!"

"She left for the Ruins with Ash and her cousin some time ago. Giovanni and his crew just appeared in the Square."

"Red was with them, as well," Giovanni added calmly.

Oak let out a sigh. "I'd hoped Red would keep them here," he muttered. "Oh, well. What's done is done, but Red and Ash are going to get such a beating when they get back." He made his way around the worktable and approached Giovanni. "I'm going to have to show you around. Don't do anything foolish and you might get to interact with the Trainers."

"And what do you want us to do with these guys?" a grunt near the door asked as he and a few others lifted up the unconscious forms of the Galactic grunts.

Oak's eyes widened. "We'll need to find Cynthia to keep an eye on those two. She's most likely sparring with someone at this time of day... Follow me, and keep close." With that, the Professor dashed out of the lab, Giovanni and his black-uniformed troop following.

After the door had shut behind them, Jolt turned to look at Uxie and Rowan, who had been observing the interaction from the stairwell. "Do you guys know anything about the ancestral users of Volt Tackle?"

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

Khrista dove behind the remains of a treetop as a bright pink Shaymin with dark blue flowers scurried by. A moment later, Grace tackled the Legendary, calling out, "Shay!"

The Grass-Type jumped in alarm at the sound of the Angeleon's voice, then tried to back up, only for Grace to catch her in a bear hug and held her down.

"Get off me!" Shay snarled, scrambling out of the Angeleon's grip. Then she dashed off before Grace could grab the Legendary again.

Grace frowned at the retreating Pokemon. "What was that about?"

"It probably has something to do with the K-T," Joshua responded. "Maybe it changed her attitude." He looked at Khrista, who was still crouched behind the tree. "And I don't see why you have to hide back there."

"You never know when one of those Pokemon is going to become hostile," the teen retorted, getting up from her hiding place. "Triple S has been passing over our heads and attacking whatever he might find suitable to be a target." A blue blur passed over their heads and veered towards Ash, but then slashed the remains of the tree to pieces. "See? That's six times, now."

"Let's just keep moving," Maya suggested. "We still have that storm to worry about, too."

"Right," Ash agreed. He promptly took off in a dash. "Last one to Stark Mountain is a rotten Exeggcute!"

Red shook his head in amusement. "Still acts like a ten-year-old," he muttered before taking off after his brother. Joshua and the others quickly followed, Khrista keeping an eye out for any more Legendaries that might cross their path.

"How do you think we're going to change them back?" Khrista asked Red, motioning in the direction the Shaymin had gone.

"Dialga and Palkia might know," the Kanto Champion responded. "Either that, or Ash could figure something out. Red Chain's control or not, he did put them under in the first place."

Khrista jumped up as she shifted to Flying-Type. "Electricity might have something to do with it. I shook Ash loose with a GigaVolt; maybe a less powerful one might pretty much the same thing."

"You're not releasing anything electrical," Grace responded from where she flew to Khrista's left. "Even with five Electric-Types to help, you were out for two days. And didn't Jolt say something about Ash having some electricity left in him, too?"

Red looked at the Angeleon in confusion. "What?"

Joshua also looked intrigued. "Have you been hiding something from us, Khrista?"

Khrista smiled nervously at her traveling companions. "I only learned it recently myself. According to Pikachu, Ash has some of the GigaVolt electricity left in his system. Jolt said it felt as powerful as Zapdos' reserves. He hasn't figured out how to use it yet, though."

Red shook his head. "Great. Looks like Pikachu won't be able to wake up Ash in the morning like he used to."

"Unless he wants to give him a sugar rush," Joshua responded, pointing ahead. "Pikachu's been zapping Ash at regular intervals, and it seems to be keeping him going at a faster speed than humanly possible."

"Probably the electricity," Khrista confirmed.

By the time they had caught up to Ash, the Trainer was sitting a cave at the base of Stark Mountain. Taking note of their arrival, the Trainer got up, a relaxed smile on his face.

"Hey, guys," Ash greeted. "What took you so long?"

"We ran at a normal human pace, in case you didn't notice," Red responded with a smirk. "Pikachu's Thunderbolt didn't hurt, did it?"

Ash shook his head. "It felt like I had just eaten a RageCandyBar or something like that."

"That probably has something to do with the electricity buildup inside you," Joshua noted. Noticing the look Ash was giving him, he explained, "Khrista told us what was going on. In my opinion, I think you've probably become part Pokemon."

Ash's eyes widened. "Seriously? I'm part Pokemon?"

"Probably," Joshua repeated. "It will take some time to figure out how to activate your newfound abilities, but for now, we've got a couple Legendaries to face."

Pikachu nodded in agreement. "We're going to have to move fast. The pressure had already started to drop, and whatever static there is in the air has gone up. A lot."

Red glanced over in the direction they had come from, eyes widening upon seeing the storm front that was coming their way. "Let's get into the volcano and start looking for those Legendaries."

Khrista moved to stand in the entrance to the volcano. "I know the geography from the games' situation, but if the Legendaries changed the maze past here, then my knowledge won't be of any help."

"They probably turned it into a Mystery Dungeon," Joshua quipped. "We'll have to split up into groups in order to get through."

"I wanna go with Maya and Tina!" Grace called. She moved to stand next to the Eevee and the Chikorita.

"Ash and I are staying together," Red stated calmly.

Khrista grinned at her cousin, only to find that he was frowning. "What? Not excited to go along with your cousin?"

"It's not that," Joshua responded. "Ash should probably go with Khrista, Red. If his powers start to manifest, he's going to need someone who can help him get some basic skills learned."

The two brothers looked at each other, considering Joshua's suggestion. A few seconds later, Ash grinned and nodded.

"All right," he finally stated. "Let's make it a race. First groups of Trainers to reach the top gets first dibs at battling the Legendaries."

The chosen groups nodded, grins on everyone's faces.

"Let's move!" Khrista exclaimed, dashing inside.


	74. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Dialga stirred as he awakened from momentary slumber, something abnormal setting off alarms at the back of his head. **_-Intruders-_** he growled.

Palkia stirred as well, the dark red gem on his shoulder glinting dangerously in the dim light. **-Five space distortions. Two humans, three Pokemon, summoned by the Master. And one more, who has been changed-**The Legendary turned his head to look at Dialga. **-The Ketchum boy is no longer under the control of the Master-**

Dialga's eyes narrowed. **_-We shall bring him back-_** The orange gem on his chest began to glow.

**-That will not succeed-** Palkia warned. **-Another power has taken its place. It is the distortions we should watch-**

Dialga's orange gem stopped glowing. **_-The distortions? Of what use is that?-_**

**-They carry abilities that no other holds. Two, though weak, carry great power, and two more have discovered theirs, while the last has yet to learn of her full potential-**

Dialga snorted. **_-Mere otherworlders with abilities far weaker than ours-_**

**-They are not to be underestimated, brother. Each carries a power that rivals that of a Legendary, and teams of Pokemon that could easily defeat us-**

Dialga's face contorted into what could have been a sneer. **_-Then we shall make teams of our own-_**


	75. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Khrista ducked as a Flamethrower was blown in her direction, only for her to blast a Hydro Pump at the Magmortar the Fire Attack had come from. "Magmortar didn't used to live in these caves! The only Fire-Types I had to worry about were Slugma, Magcargo, and the occasional Torkoal." She nodded in approval to Vapor as he forced a Graveler back with a Hydro Pump of his own. "And the regulars have gotten tougher, too."

"This is tough?" Vapor asked, amused. "That Graveler attacked with the power of a Geodude, and you call him tough? I'll believe that when I start seeing Golem."

"Don't say that too soon," Pikachu warned. "You've probably just jinxed us."

"Try to relax, Pikachu," Ash responded. "There's no way a Golem could live here."

As if on cue, three Golem fell from the cave ceiling and landed in front of them.

Khrista let out a sigh of annoyance. "Vapor, let's take these guys."

**Line Break. Ignore me.**

"Hit it with Ice Punch!" Red ordered his Poliwrath, pointing at the Graveler in front of him. The Water/Fighting-Type complied instantly, slamming into the Rock/Ground-Type with enough power to send the wild Pokemon tumbling backwards, completely encased in ice.

Red nodded in approval to his Pokemon, then glared at Joshua. "You could be of more help, you know. Out of all the Trainers I've worked with, you have to be the laziest."

"I'm simply waiting for the most opportune time," Joshua responded coolly. Tossing out a PokeBall, he stated, "Lucario, use Heal Pulse on Poli."

There was a bright green flash as the move emerged with the Pokemon, hitting Poli and allowing the Kanto Pokemon to recover some energy.

"Heal Pulse?" Red asked, curious.

"A recently discovered move. Very handy if you don't have any Potions with you." Joshua nodded to Lucario. "We're going to need your help against these Rock-Types that are wandering around."

Lucario nodded. "Rock-Types are nothing to me."

"You have any idea how close we are to the Legendaries?" Red asked as he looked ahead. "I've heard that Lucario can sense the aura of both people and Pokemon. If you can tell how far away they are -"

"I am only Level 48, Champion. In order to be an Aura Seer, I must be at least Level 50."

Poli grumbled something under his breath that no one could decipher, but Red had a pretty good idea of what his first Pokemon was saying.

"There isn't much we can do about that," the Kanto Champion reasoned. "We should keep moving - we don't want to stay in the same place for too long."

"Right," Joshua agreed. He promptly began to move forward, Lucario at his side, ready for an attack from anywhere.

**Line Break. Ignore me and move on.**

"Yah!" Tina yelled, throwing a mass of Razor Leafs at the Graveler rolling in her direction. "Keep back!"

The Rock/Ground-Type screeched to a halt, flinching in pain from the razor-sharp leaves. It started to pluck them out, but the Chikorita continued to release her barrage. By the time the Graveler had fainted, it looked like a small shrubbery.

"You had to go all out, didn't you?" Maya asked dryly from her position on top of a fainted Magcargo's shell.

"Well, how else was I going to stop its Rollout?" Tina demanded in reply. "It would have squashed me if I didn't!"

Grace blasted an oncoming Graveler with an Ice Beam, delighted at the discovery of one of her attacks. "Still, you could've conserved your power a little more. We won't be able to find Max Elixirs sitting on every floor." She glided into the tunnel ahead of them and landed in ring of a set of roughly cut stairs. "I don't think we have much further to go. The heat is getting steadily stronger."

Tina nodded in agreement. "There are probably Fire-Types, too."

"We'll have to move fast to get you through there, then," Maya remarked, leaping off the Magcargo shell and trotting over to where Grace stood. "Come on - no use waiting up."

**Line Break. Ignore me and move on.**

Khrista let out a low roll, glaring at the Golem that had decided to take a nap in their path. "Hydro Pump!" The blast sent the Pokemon rocketing down the tunnel, coming to a stop only when it hit a wall. "These guys are becoming as common as Zubat," she muttered. "Now you see what Pikachu meant, Vapor?"

The Water-Type standing behind her nodded. "Yeah. Note to self: don't say anything stupid while in Stark Mountain."

Ash nodded. "You're not the only one with that problem. Everywhere I go, I jinx something." Pikachu chuckled in agreement.

Khrista smirked, then motioned for the group to continue on, taking a few steps forward as she did so. "We probably don't have far to go. If the Golem have begun to appear more frequently, we could be pretty deep in already."

**"I wouldn't be so sure about that."**

Khrista jumped back as a Rhyperior jumped down and landed where she had been standing a second before. The Pokemon looked like it had gone though a few buckets of paint, because it was almost completely white, except for a golden horn, bright yellow armor pads, and green eyes.

Khrista's eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

**"A second chance." **The Rhyperior took a step forward, one hand outstretched. **"My master has offered me a second chance to once again live among my brethren. All he asks is that you come along quietly with me to meet him."**

"Trap," Pikachu muttered under his breath.

Khrista, hearing what Pikachu said, let out a short chuckle. "Come quietly? First, you must inform me of where we're going."

The Rhyperior seemed confused. **"We? I only came for you. Master Palkia only has an interest in you."**

Khrista was taken aback by this. "Only interested in me?" She shook off her shock and stated, "Look, buddy, I'm not going quietly to your master, whether he has an interest in me or not. We came here to free him from the Red Chain. So there!"

The Rhyperior's eyes narrowed. **"He has learned much from that which binds him. Behold my power!"** The Pokemon raised his arms above his head, and, much to everyone's surprise, a ball of electricity formed above him. Without any problem, the Rhyperior threw the ball at Vapor, who was saved from being KO'd by Ash jumping in the way and absorbing the attack.

"Have a taste of your own medicine!" Ash barked, throwing a smaller ball of electricity at the Rhyperior.

Khrista's eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself and grabbed two PokeBalls from her belt. "Vapor, return! Raze, Glacier! Get out here!"

The Water-Type disappeared in a flash of red as the Blazikan and Glaceon appeared.

Raze stiffened as soon as he saw the Rhyperior, which was being pushed back by Pikachu's Volt Tackle. "Why did you bring me out against a Rhyperior?"

"He's part Electric," Ash called out. "Palkia probably did something to him."

"And we still need to figure out if he has any other weaknesses," Khrista added. "Try a Blizzard/Fire Blast combo on him."

The two Pokemon in front of her looked at each other, nodded, then attacked together. The two moves mixed to become a swirling blur of red and blue - fire and ice - that the Rhyperior could not avoid. Within seconds, the Pokemon had been encased in an ice cage where it lay knocked out.

Khrista nodded in approval. "Now that's how it's done!" She turned to looks at Ash, who was still letting off sparks. "It looks like your powers have activated."

Ash nodded in agreement, lifting up his hands to get a better look at the sparks. "But how am I going to turn it off?"

"Focus on disconnecting from it," Pikachu suggested. "Either that, or find something to release it on."

Ash frowned, then closed his eyes tightly, clenching his fists tightly. Raze and Glacier moved to face the ice-cubed Rhyperior as the Trainer concentrated, moving the frozen Pokemon aside with Khrista's assistance.

**"Master Palkia will make you wish you hadn't done that,"** the Rhyperior snarled from within his prison.

"Shut it," Khrista responded. "We'll see him soon enough."

**Line Break. Ignore me and move on.**

Meanwhile, Red and Joshua were facing the same sort of problem, but not in the form of a Rhyperior - it was a Dusknoir instead.

**_"You mere Trainers are no match for my Master,"_** the Pokemon snarled, tossing Joshua's Lucario at a cave wall. **_"They have more power than you can possibly imagine."_**

Red rolled his eyes in boredom. "Gee, where have I heard that before? Pika, finish him off."

The Electric-Type nodded. "Right. Thunder!" The attack zipped towards Dusknoir and smashed into it, causing the Pokemon to howl in pain.

Joshua raised his eyebrows in surprise, watching from where he knelt next to Lucario. "I didn't think that move would affect that Pokemon so much." He handed his Pokemon an Oran Berry, giving the Fighting/Steel-Type enough energy to get back up on his feet. "Moves like Shadow Ball and Shadow Claw have been known to be super-effective."

Red frowned. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe this one is part Flying."

"Doubt it. All Dusknor have the same Typing."

As Pika halted his attack, the Dusknoir fell to the cave floor, breathing heavily, arcs of electricity moving from one section of the Pokemon's form to another. As it wheezed, the Pokemon said, **_"Master Palkia changed me and my fellow agents. My original 'Typing,' as you call it, has been exchanged for a different one. I have access to incredible...power..."_** The Pokemon trailed off as he lost consciousness.

Lucario shook his head. "The gods are mad," he declared. "No Pokemon should have their abilities changed - truly, it would drive _me_ mad."

"Just to change a Pokemon's Type alone goes against nature," Pika agreed.

Joshua nodded. "We need to keep moving. If we ran into a Pokemon like this here, the others are probably having trouble with them, too. And where there's one, there's more." Returning Lucario to his PokeBall, he dashed off, ignoring the looks Red and Pika were giving him and each other.

**Line Break. Ignore me and move on.**

"Shadow Ball!" Maya yelled, sending the Ghost-Type move at the blue Magmortar they were fighting. "Grace, do you have any Water-Type attacks in your arsenal?"

"I don't know," the Angeleon responded. "Ice Beam and Fly are the only attacks that have come through so far."

"Maybe Ice Beam can give us some cover," Tina suggested. "A Mist."

"If it's not enough," Grace responded. She promptly fired an Ice Beam in the Magmortar's direction, only for the attack to turn to water as it went over the lava between her and the Shiny Fire-Type. When it touched the Magmortar, however, instead of doing damage, it simply dissipated into steam.

Magmortar laughed. **"Those attacks no longer harm me, little ones."**

Tina let out a growl of frustration. "How about this, then!" A slew of Razor Leafs were sent over the lava, only to be burnt to a crisp before they reached the enemy Pokemon. As the Magmortar continued to laugh at their futile attacks, Maya fired off another Shadow Ball, hitting the Shiny Pokemon in the side.

The Magmortar let out a growl and turned quickly to face the Eevee. **"You dare attack a servant of Master Palkia?"** He readied his cannon to fire at Maya, only to be pelted with water-encased leaves, curtesy of Tina and Grace. **"Gah!"**

"Keep it going, guys!" Maya encouraged. She then proceeded to fire off Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball, damaging the Magmortar even more.

The Magmortar, despite being attacked from all sides, didn't look like he was going to give up so easily. Without looking, he aimed his cannon at Maya and fired a dark wad of energy at the Eevee.

"Aak!" Maya was blown back, hitting the cave wall behind her and collapsing to the floor. She tried to get up, but the attack had taken a lot of energy out of her.

**"Insolent pests,****"**Magmortar growled. He turned to face Grace and Tina, who had stopped their attack and were now exchanging nervous glances. **"Do you surrender?"**

Grace let out a low growl. "What do you think, flame head?" She zoomed over the lava and rammed into Magmortar, hoping that would do something. Unfortunately, she flew right _through_ him.

Tina's eyes widened. "We've been fighting a _ghost_?!"

Grace let out a snarl of annoyance as she landed beside Maya. "Great. He's probably part Water or Ice, too."

Maya let out a groan, then started to get up slowly, shaking her head as if to clear it of something. "Grace, can you distract him? I've got an idea as to how to beat him."

The Angeleon looked at her exhausted traveling companion curiously, then nodded. "Hey, Magmortar! When did you die and change Types?" She flew over the Pokemon's head, just out of his claws' reach. "Only Kecleon are allowed to do that."

**"The Masters granted me this power,"** the ex-Fire-Type growled in responded. He tried to aim at the flying Pokemon above his head, but a moving target is harder than one that was in one spot.**"Hold still!"**

Grace ignored him, instead picking up her speed and flying around in complex patterns as she tried to make him dizzily. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maya starting to limp toward the edge of the lava. "Your Masters are lunatics."

That did it. With a roar, the Magmortar leaped up at her, firing off a dark energy ball. When the attack hit the ceiling above them, Magmortar started to release the attack in random directions, forcing Tina to duck every time a dark ball almost hit her in the head.

"Watch it!" the Chikorita snapped.

The Magmortar ignored her, since the Pokemon above his head had all his attention.

**"Come down from there, you flying pest!"** he snarled.

"Take this!"

A large Shadow Ball suddenly hit Magmortar from behind, causing the Pokemon to scream in pain. The ex-Fire-Type turned around quickly, only to see Maya panting heavily, her white fur collar now a deep black.

"Back off, Magma face!" Maya barked. Another large Shadow Ball appeared in front of her, quickly growing in size until it was as large as her. The attack rammed Magmortar in the stomach, causing it to fall back, stopping only a few inches above the lava as it floated away from them.

"I never knew you had it in you!" Grace exclaimed as she landed beside Maya, Tina running up beside them.

"I didn't, either," Maya responded with a shrug. She looked out over the pool of lava, spotting a set of stairs on the other side. "So, how are we going to get across?"

Tina frowned momentarily, then grinned. "Grace, how about you try using Ice Beam on the lava? If you can cool it, then we can walk across!"

The Angeleon considered the Chikorita's statement, then nodded. "That could work." She turned to face the lava and began to fire the Ice attack at the molten rock. It didn't take long for the rock to harden into a pathway across the lava. Motioning for her friends to follow, Grace set off across the lava pool, Tina and Maya following close behind.

As they reached the stairs, Maya stopped short, her ears twitching. "Something's coming this way," she warned.

Grace stopped and looked around as her ears strained. "Is it another messed-up Magmortar?"

"Magmortar?" a voice repeated. Joshua and Red stepped out of the darkness to their right, Lucario to Joshua's right and Pika on the Champion's shoulder.

"We were attacked by a Dusknoir," Red continued. "Palkia messed up its Type so badly, Pika's Thunder attack was super-effective."

"Maya ended up downing the Magmortar with a Shadow Ball," Tina explained. "We think it was a Ghost with either Water or Ice as it's second Type."

"We fought a Rhyperior that was part Electric," Khrista explained as she appeared to their left. "Ash has been sparking on and off ever since."

"I've held it back for the most part," Ash muttered as he and Pikachu appeared. A few sparks jumped off the Trainer's fingers. "That Rhyperior's Electro Ball is still trying to get out."

Khrista tried to look up the roughly cut stairs. "It looks like the passageway up ahead has been blocked off by a trap door..." She looked at Ash. "You want to release some energy and blow it open?" The teen moved clear of the stairs to allow Ash a clear shot at the blockage.

The Kanto Trainer moved to stand in front of the stairs, eyeing the object at the end. "It looks like a Golem dropped a large boulder up there," he remarked.

Pikachu let out a groan. "Don't start."

Khrista shook her head, chuckling. "Can you blast it? Or do I need to use Strength to move it?"

"No; I think I got it." Ash got ready to fire an attack. A look of intense concentration on his face as he held his hands out in front of him. The electricity in his body responded instantly, sparking from his hands as it formed into a ball. When it got to the size Ash wanted it to be, the Kanto Trainer pushed. The Electro Ball responded instantly, zooming up the stairs. The boulder didn't stand a chance - it exploded on contact with the electricity.

Ash jumped back as a few small rocks tumbled down the stairs. "Looks like we can head up."

Pikachu nodded in agreement. "What do you think is past here?"

Khrista was about to answer when she felt a presence brush against her mind, and she stiffened. "I'm getting the feeling that they know we're coming."

"We've been trashing this place for the past what, half an hour?" Joshua sighed with annoyance. "Of course they'd know we're coming."

Khrista shuddered. "That wasn't what gave me the hint. I think...one of the two is mentally searching for where we are."

**-You are correct-**

Everyone jumped at the sound of the voice, except for Ash, who stared at the ceiling.

"Palkia," the Kanto Trainer muttered.

**-Greetings, Ketchum. My brother and I have awaited your arrival since you set foot on the island-**

Khrista got in front of the stairs. "Well, we're coming up to knock the Red Chain loose whether you like it or not!"

**_-Hold-_** Everyone (minus Ash) jumped as a new voice resounded. **_-We must first test you. If you are prepared to face us, face the last three of our agents first-_**

Joshua frowned. "That was Dialga, wasn't it?"

Ash nodded. "The agents he mentioned must be like the three we fought earlier - the Pokemon with the messed-up Types."

**"And they weren't the only ones."** The group turned quickly in order to find the source of the voice, only to find themselves staring at three Pokemon - a Skuntank, a Weezing, and a Golbat.

Khrista's eyes narrowed. "Great. Team Skull got messed with, too."

Ash gave her a curious look. "You know these guys?"

"Anyone who ran an Exploration Team does." She tossed out a PokeBall, Glacier appearing in a flash. "Try a Blizzard!"

Glacier nodded. "Right!" She fired the Ice attack in the three Pokemon's direction, her Trainer hoping that it would do some damage.

Weezing unleashed a raspberry as Golbat howled with laughter. **"That stuff doesn't hurt us anymore!"**

Khrista's eyes narrowed. "Glacier, Ice Beam on Skuntank."

The mentioned Pokemon shook his head as the attack hit. **"Chaw-haw-haw. We have Legendary power. Do you really think that's going to do anything?"**

Lucario, Aura Sphere!" A blue energy ball blasted into Weezing's face, catching the poison gas ball off guard.

**_"Gah!"_** Weezing exclaimed, floating backwards a little. **_"Why you little-"_**

"ExtremeSpeed into a Close Combat," Joshua added. "That should take it out."

Lucario nodded, then dashed forward and started punching and kicking Weezing, sending the Pokemon into a cave wall.

"Glacier, come back. Raze, get out here!" The two Pokemon were quickly interchanged. "Try a Blaze Kick on the Skunk."

Raze nodded, then dashed forward, leaping into the air and landing on the Skuntank, both feet blazing. Thanks to Lucario's and Raze's efforts, the Weezing and Skuntank were knocked out in seconds.

Golbat looked between Raze and Lucario as Maya and Tina snuck up behind him. He only realized they were there when he was attacked from behind with a Shadow Ball/Razor Leaf combination, by which he was taken out.

That's it?" Tina asked, frowning. "The Magmortar he sent after us was much tougher."

"Don't let your guard down," Ash warned. "We still have a couple Legendaries to take out."

Khrista nodded in agreement as she returned Raze to his PokeBall. "Right. Let's go."


	76. vs Dialga and Palkia

Chapter 75

Maya looked around the cavern, a frown on his face. "Are you sure they're up here?"

"I'm certain," Khrista confirmed. "I can sense their presence. It feels like they're breathing down the back of my neck."

_"You have yet to completely hone your Aura sense, it seems."_ The group turned, catching sight of a tired-looking Heatran, which was chained to their end of the cavern. _"They have hidden themselves so well, that you won't know where they are until they attack you."_

Tina frowned. "Oh, great. How are we going to find them before they find us?"

Heatran shrugged. _"I'm afraid that there, I cannot help you. Perhaps you can harness your Aura sense a little better, and find them that way."_

Khrista's eyes narrowed, then she turned to face the rest of the cavern, closed her eyes, and concentrated on finding the lifesource of the two Legendary Pokemon.

At first, she didn't see anything that signified Aura, but as she became more determined, the blue energy that signified Aura began to flicker into focus.

Suddenly, the Aura seemed to explode - the entire cavern was covered in it. Khrista stumbled back in surprise, blinking her eyes open in order to get rid of the blue flashes that now flickered in her vision.

"They've taken precautions against Aura Sight," Khrista told the others. "Palkia probably spread their Aura all over the place to guard against anyone trying to find them that way."

Joshua frowned. "Then we'll have to find another way - before they descend on us." He looked at Heatran. "Did they do that to you?"

The Pokemon shook his head. _"This place, despite what those two have done, is still my home. I can sense where Pokemon stand, and how the lava responds. However, now that they know of my powers, they steer clear of the ground."_

Khrista looked up. "Steer clear of the ground, huh?" Her shirt shifted to sky blue, and she rose into the air, the winds coming to her bidding. Tornadoes came and went swiftly, going around the cave in strange patterns, almost completely filling up the room with dust kicked up from the rocky floor.

Heatran's eyes widened with surprise. _"The rocks told me she was a fighter, but this I wasn't expecting."_

"That's my cousin for you," Joshua responded. He suddenly flinched, grabbing his head with his left hand. "Something big is going to happen soon. I suggest you stay as close to the wall as possib-aak!"

Khrista turned sharply in the air, eyes widening as soon as she caught sight of Palkia's strange, giant red paw gripping her cousin. "Hey, you! Let go of my cousin!"

**-He knows more than he should-** Palkia growled in response, his now dark red gem shining.**-This human you call your "cousin" deserves to disappear from existence. As do you-**

"Like I will," Khrista growled in response. She reached for the PokeBalls on her belt, but a force stopped her.

**_-You may only choose one of yours to battle us-_** Dialga explained, his orange gem shining as he kept Khrista's hand from reaching her PokeBalls. **_-If you choose anything more, we will destroy you slowly-_** he released Khrista's arm, causing it to drop to her side.

Ash and Red exchanged quick glances, then nodded to the Electric-Types on their shoulders. "We choose Pika/Pikachu!" the two called out.

**-You are not bound-** Palkia growled in response. **-She is-**

"And I've made my decision," Khrista responded. She grabbed the only Master Ball on her belt. "Rayquaza!"

The Dragon/Flying-Type appeared beside his Trainer, looking around the cave in momentary confusion. As soon as he laid eyes on Dialga and Palkia, he let out a growl.

**-You are only allowed to use this Pokemon-** Palkia stated. **-If it faints, your life and your cousin's life are forfeit-**

Rayquaza looked at Khrista sharply, surprise in his eyes. _"What?!"_

Khrista closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "You're the only one of the Pokemon I have with me that has a move that could take them both out within one hit. Glacier may be able to do that, but she doesn't have that much power. Besides, I trust you, Rayquaza."

Rayquaza's eyes widened, and he looked back at Palkia. _"Well, I'm not doing anything until you put him down."_ He let out a low growl to accent his point.

Palkia gave him a bored look. **-You need not be alarmed. The boy will not be harmed unless I wish it to be so-** He let go of Joshua, only for the teen to be suddenly encased in a giant bubble. **-Choose the creature which will fight for your life, boy-**

"I already have," Joshua responded. "Lucario. You know what to do."

The Fighting/Steel-Type nodded. "Right. Let's go." He moved to stand in front of Dialga, glaring daggers at the Legendary.

**_-Whenever you feel ready-_** Dialga stated. He moved over to one area of the cavern and landed on the ground, Palkia doing the same.

Khrista and Rayquaza moved as one, placing themselves in front of Palkia, while Lucario dashed forward to stand in front of Dialga.

"Hah!" Lucario shouted, throwing an Aura Sphere in Dialga's direction. Almost instantly, the large dragon unleashed a roar that Khrista felt almost tore her apart limb from limb. The Aura Sphere quickly dissipated as the roar echoed throughout the cavern, pelting Khrista, Rayquaza, and Lucario with its remains.

"That was Roar of Time!" Khrista identified. "He won't be moving again for a while! Rayquaza, concentrate your fire on Palkia! Dragon Pulse!"

Rayquaza reared back and fired on the giant pink (now red) Legendary, only for Palkia to create a rip of space in front of him, causing the attack to disappear.

Khrista let out a growl. "Great. I should have realized that Palkia still had Spacial Rend in his arsenal." She considered firing off an attack of her own, but thought better of it - her cousin was powerless, and certainly didn't _seem_ to be able to throw attacks around at random.

Lucario was quick to move again - he fired off a Dragon Pulse this time, once again in Dialga's direction. Rayquaza was quick to attack, as well, firing off a Dragon Pulse himself. Khrista's eyes sparked with delight upon seeing that both moves hit their mark - apparently, Spacial Rend forced Palkia to recharge in this world.

_"Careful,"_ Joshua's voice suddenly echoed in her head. _"That won't do anything against them at this point."_

_Well, what do you suggest I do, then?_ Khrista responded. _And since when can you use Telepathy?_

_"Ask me later, when this is over and done with. Look, the Red Chain is going to take a lot of power to take out. If you want to take them out, you _have_ to use the most powerful attack you have. I can't release Corza from his PokeBall, but you and Rayquaza can still use Draco Meteor together."_

Khrista's eyes narrowed as Dialga's orange gem started to flash; it was obvious that the Legendary was back up at full power. "Rayquaza, when I say so, don't hold anything back when we use Draco Meteor."

Rayquaza shot her a look, but said nothing.

"And...stay out of my way for a moment. I want to get a few hits in." Khrista moved in front of Rayquaza, her shirt starting to become royal blue, only to stop halfway through, becoming a Dual-Type swirl.

Taking in a breath, Khrista gathered what anger she had in her, and attacked Dialga.

Outrage in and of itself is a powerful attack, but when combined with a need to take out your foe for the sake of the world, it gains even more power. Khrista wasn't aware of this - all she wanted to do at this point was take out the Legendary before he could do any further damage.

Rayquaza's eyes widened as he watched his Trainer, a maniacal grin on her face, as she used the move that he had almost killed her with. _"Stop! You're going to kill yourself!"_

"I know what I'm doing," Khrista snarled in response. Her hits started to become more erratic as her strength began to deplete, but Dialga was still flinching.

_"She's going to do something foolish,"_ the Legendary muttered. _"Khrista, stop!"_

Khrista ignored her Pokemon, letting out a growl in response. Her attack switched from Outrage to Dragon Claw, slashing Dialga's orange gem - most likely an attempt to break it.

Dialga let out a howl of pain, thrashing around as he tried to avoid Khrista's attacks. Unfortunately, this only led to Khrista attacking Palkia with the same ferocity, hitting the red gem on the creature's shoulder.

_"Khrista, stop!"_ Rayquaza repeated. _"That's enough!"_

Gradually, Khrista's attacks began to slow as she regained her surroundings. Upon realizing how close she was to the Spacial Legendary, she retreated to Rayquaza's side, eyes wide.

"Thanks," she panted, looking a little worse for the wear.

_"You needed to be snapped out of it,"_ Rayquaza responded. _"Now are we going to use Draco Meteor?"_

_"No,"_ Joshua responded. _"We need to give the others a turn before we take them out. Despite Khrista's efforts, they are still too strong to take out in one move."_

"Hey, guys!" Khrista called down. "You're up!"

Ash and Red exchanged glances, then were in front of Dialga and Palkia, Saur in front of the Dragon/Water-Type, and Charizard in front of the Dragon/Steel-Type.

"Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

"Power Whip!" Red called out.

Charizard reared back and fired off a stream of fire that could have rivaled anything Moltres could have cooked up, while Saur threw a giant vine whip that looked like it was exerting green energy.

Dialga, who was actually looking worse for the wear, let out a Roar of Time that caused the flamethrower to scatter, but Palkia ended up taking the hit from the Power Whip, which Khrista found surprising.

Ash's eyes narrowed. "Fire Blast!"

"Let's do a Razor Leaf!" Red called.

This time, the Fire Blast hit Dialga square in the chest, while Palkia caused the Razor Leaf to go through one rip in space and out another right behind Charizard.

"Ow!" Charizard yelped as the leaves bit into him. "Not funny!"

"Ignore it, Charizard," Ash stated. "Try another Flamethrower!"

"Frenzy Plant!" Red ordered.

Once again, the Flamethrower's power was scattered. Unfortunately, Frenzy Plant didn't hit its mark, either - instead, Palkia slashed through it with a Dragon Claw, which also hit Saur.

**-Insolent pests-** Palkia snarled. **-These Pokemon alone do not have a power that rivals ours-**

"Infernape!" Ash called out, releasing the Fire/Fighting-Type. "Fire Spin!"

"Pika, use Thunder!"

Palkia shook his head, another Spacial Rend causing the Electric-Type attack to go behind the brothers. Dialga took the hit, but no burn or fiery cyclone were left behind.

"Look out!" Ash shouted, pushing Red out of the way as the Thunder was sent toward them. He absorbed the attack, then turned to glare at Palkia. "Take this!" A large ball of electricity blasted out of him, hitting the Legendary in the chest, causing the Pokemon to flinch in surprise. "Infernape, use Flare Blitz!"

The fire monkey saluted, then charged at Dialga, who looked like he was ready to claw at the Fire/Fighting-Type. However, Infernape managed to avoid the Dragon Claw, hitting the Legendary in one of its legs. As he retreated, a large flame coursed up Dialga's leg, only dissipating when it reached his gem.

_"That should do it,"_ Joshua stated. _"Whenever you're ready, Khrista."_

Khrista nodded in response. "You up to it, Rayquaza?"

Rayquaza nodded._"I have enough energy to send Kyogre and Groudon to kingdom come if I have to."_ He grinned at his Trainer. _"Are you?"_

Khrista let out a breath. "Give me a minute." She closed her eyes and concentrated on bringing her Dragon power together in her core. To her surprise, it responded instantly, gathering together to the point of exploding out of her. "Now, Rayquaza!"

**_"Draco Meteor!"_** the two shouted together. Not but an instant later, a loud rumbling was heard above them.

Ash looked up. "We need to keep then distracted," he told Red, motioning to the Legendaries. Grabbing the PokeBalls on his belt, he shouted, "Come out, everybody!" As soon as all the Pokemon he had brought with him were out, he stated, "Heracross, you and Charizard go help Infernape against Dialga. Sceptile, Pikachu, and Gible - go after Palkia."

Pikachu grinned and gave Ash a thumbs-up. "You got it!" He leapt off his Trainer's shoulder and promptly unleashed a Thunderbolt attack in Palkia's direction, while Pika did the same with his Thunder attack.

Red then released his own Pokemon. "Saur, go help Pika against Palkia. Poli, you've got Dialga. Lax, you're going against Dialga. Aero, you've got Dialga. And Vee, you go after Palkia."

The Espeon nodded. "They won't know what hit them." He dashed off in the direction of the Legendary, Tina following behind while Grace and Maya set their sights on Dialga.

While the Pokemon began to take Dialga's and Palkia's attention, Khrista's power began to slowly fade. Gritting her teeth, she tried to summon more power, but there wasn't much left.

_"We're not losing,"_ Joshua stated. _"Not today." _Khrista could barely hear him, but she could tell that he was determined not to let them lose against the controlled Legendaries. Switching to vocal, Joshua called out, "Lucario! Now!"

Below, Lucario nodded, then let out a guttural roar as he started to glow with a strange, blue energy, which has long since been identified as Aura. "Aura Storm!" A beam of Aura was suddenly fired on Dialga, who let out a primeval shriek. The air was suddenly filled with energy as the Aura Storm hit Dialga's orange gem point-blank. Khrista, upon realizing this, managed to absorb whatever energy was zooming around her. Above, the rumbling became even louder.

Palkia let out a snarl. **-No one is going to defeat us. Certainly not a group of genetic freaks-**

Ash's eyes narrowed. "Oh, yeah? In case you haven't noticed, Dialga isn't looking so good."

_"Now!"_ Rayquaza roared. He released a Dragon Pulse at the rocky ceiling, causing it to collapse as gigantic meteors crashed through, practically bursting with draconic energy. While Red's and Ash's Pokemon were able to get out of the way in time, Dialga and Palkia were too large to get of of the way of the Ultimate Dragon Attack. They were soon buried under a pile of rocks.

"Let's hope that did it," Khrista murmured, looking over at the rock piles as Joshua was slowly lowered and landed on the ground as the bubble dissipated. "I don't think I can manage another attack like that."

"I was starting to wonder when those two would get some sense knocked into them!" Khrista turned her head sharply, catching sight of a strange, blue Sandslash standing near a hole that had suddenly appeared in the cave wall.

"What do you mean by that?" Khrista asked as she landed on the cave floor. "And where did you come from?"

The Sandslash motioned to the hole. "When Cyrus took over, he had me and my friends rounded up for no reason and trapped in a pocket dimension. When you knocked him out, I managed to slip out and leave a tunnel that leads out of the mountain. I came back in to see what had happened."

Joshua was about to respond to this when the rock pile was suddenly thrown apart by a blast of draconic energy. For a moment, Khrista thought she had caught sight of a fine red dust, but the moment passed quickly. When the dust had cleared, Dialga and Palkia were standing there in their normal colorings.

Dialga nodded to Khrista and the others. _"Thank you for rescuing us."_

_"I warned him what was going to happen if he tried a stunt like this,"_ Palkia muttered.

Khrista's eyes widened. "You tried to dissuade Cyrus?"

_"The first time, yes,"_ Dialga confirmed. He bent down to have a closer look at Khrista. _"You seem familiar, somehow. What is your name, child?"_

"I'm Khrista," Khrista responded, "one of the kids Cyrus dragged here after he took over." She motioned to her cousins and the Angeleon, continuing, "And these are Joshua, Maya, Tina, and Grace."

_"Ah, the otherworlders the Psychics saw. I would say that it is an honor to finally meet you, but it appears we already have."_

"Otherworlders?" the Sandslash repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

_"They're the kids who play video games back on their world,"_ Palkia explained. _"We saw just one Trainer, but the Psychics saw more follow when Ash became a Trainer himself. Whatever actions the one went through, the others mimicked some time later."_

"Oh." The Sandslash nodded, understanding, but then frowned. "But what about that Trainer? Where is he?"

_"I believe _she_ went to a place out of Cyrus' reach."_ Palkia looked at Khrista, who was frowning in confusion. _"There is a Trainer who went through the events of your games here, but she came from another world. Even though Cyrus seems to have some sort of hatred for Ash, he hates the first World Jumper even more so."_

"World Jumper?" Maya repeated. "Is that what this other Trainer is?"

Dialga nodded. _"Yes. And you are, as well, thanks to Cyrus' meddling."_

Palkia looked up towards the hole. _"Speaking of meddling, we have a planet to restore. If you would excuse me."_ He took off through the hole and into the sky without another word.

_"I may not have command over space, but I can restore those who have been changed to their proper forms,"_ Dialga added. _"You may go and tell the others what has occurred; they need not worry about what we are doing."_

Khrista nodded. "Right." She flew up onto Rayquaza's head, calling, "All right, guys! Let's go back!"

**Line Break. Ignore me and move on.**

Cyrus awoke from his first dreamless sleep in days, only to find himself staring face to face with the man he had allied himself with years ago.

"You've been asleep for two days," Ivan noted as Cyrus sat up. "I was beginning to wonder if the device had lobotomized you."

"Cyrus shook his head. "I had been having nightmares on that accursed planet. Now that I am here, I am free of sleepless nights." He looked around the gray room grimly. "I see you haven't redecorated."

"Like I need to. What happened that forced you to come here?"

Cyrus let out a growl. "I was beaten. Again."

Ivan seemed intrigued by this. "Was it the same one you were complaining about from the last time?"

"No - her I couldn't find. This one was a kid who somehow became part Mew!"

"Is that bad?"

Cyrus got off the bed, an angered look on his face. "As bad as when your first 'project' turned against you. I knew my work would be reversed just as quickly as I had activated it, so I found a window of opportunity. Unfortunately, I came here alone."

Ivan shook his head, making a _tsk_ noise as he did so. "You shouldn't let yourself be so vulnerable. Is there anyone who escaped?"

"No; they captured everyone." Cyrus started to pace back and forth. "There is no point in trying to go back and invade - the Pokemon those Trainers have are probably powerful enough to destroy an army of yours with little difficulty."

"That is a pessimistic thought," Ivan noted.

"It is said with experience," Cyrus shot back. "If we are going to go back, we need creatures that can stand against Pokemon. We need that blue demon you spoke to me about."

Ivan's eyes widened, his glasses reflecting the light source above their heads. "A tall order. But with you here, I might be able to put something together..."

**Line Break. Ignore me and move on.**

"We're back!" Khrista called as she and the others arrived in the Square. A large crowd of Trainers quickly surrounded them, but the Professors pushed them back.

"How did it go?" Birch inquired. Khrista noticed that he didn't ask them about _where_ they had gone - he had most likely been told about what they had gone off to do.

"We rescued them with two Draco Meteors," Khrista explained. "Plus, we found this little guy." The blue Sandslash standing to her right waved.

Professor Rowan leaned forward and inspected the Shiny Pokemon. "Your Trainer has been worried sick about you."

"I kinda figured," Sandslash responded. "Where is he?"

"He went back to Kanto about an hour ago," Professor Oak explained. "I was planning on heading back soon myself."

"So you can give me a ride?" The Sandslash grinned as Oak nodded. "Awesome! We'll have to wait a little, though - the Legendaries are probably going to bring everyone else back once Dialga's taken care of restoring everyone to normal."

"That's all right. I still have a few things I need to take care of."

"So, what's going to happen now?" Green asked.

"Now, we wait for Palkia to do his work," Red stated. Turning to look at his brother, he said, "Palkia mentioned that Cyrus hated you. Why?"

Ash smiled sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head. "A few years ago, he learned about the whole 'Chosen One' fiasco back on the Orange Islands. He then tried to hunt down Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno to reenact the whole thing, but I stopped him. After that, he tried to do that to the other world disasters, but I - and the otherworlders - stopped him every time."

"And now Cyrus has vanished," Elm muttered.

Khrista frowned. "What do you mean by that? Wasn't Darkrai keeping an eye on him?"

_"I am still mortal, Legendary or not,"_ the mentioned Pokemon responded, materializing in front of Khrista. _"I had been resting when he awoke and disappeared."_ He handed Joshua a metallic object. _"It looks like he activated some sort of artificial Teleport."_

Joshua turned the object over in his hands. "Some sort of portable, one-use warp device," he identified. "It probably has the destination coded in." He rubbed a strange K-like shape in the device. "It could have sent him to another world."

"Another world?" Khrista repeated, surprised. "But where would Cyrus go? He's lived here for his entire life, hasn't he?"

Joshua shrugged. "You can never tell with people of his caliber." He dropped the device, which had strangely turned to dust in his hands. "Well, it looks like he won't be bothering us for a while." His eyes scanned the crowd. "I'm going to get my Pokemon healed up. If any of you want to battle me, get in line."

Khrista smirked. "And that goes for me, too! I haven't been able to get into an official battle yet, and I'm itching for one!"


	77. Khrista vs Red

Chapter 76

"Welcome, contestants and spectators, to the first annual Verity Tournament! This is Ruby -"

"-and I'm May-" another voice added.

-reporting to you live from Spatial Colosseum!" they finished together.

"It's been two short weeks since the world has been restored to normal," May continued. "Thanks to Palkia, we've managed to remove every speck of Cyrus' work from the planet."

"And we have Palkia to thank for this awesome colosseum," Ruby added, looking out over the presently vacant battlefield below. "Room to hold almost all of Sinnoh's population, plus a climate-controlled battlefield, which can take the characteristics of any environment! We have it set at 'Random' for today's last two battles, so who knows what the Trainers will have to face!"

"In fact, here come two Trainers now!" May made a motion for two of the cameras to zoom in on the two figures approaching the Trainer Boxes. "One of them is Red, the Kanto Champion. Before he had come over here with Professor Oak at the start of the Crisis, Red was the sole human inhabitant of Mt. Silver, the toughest mountain in the world!"

"Tough for you, anyway," Ruby responded. "Otherworld Trainers, as well as Miss White, have been the only ones to make it up there." He ignored the glare he was receiving from his younger sister. "Unfortunately, White won't be here today - her parents said that she was 'out', whatever that means."

There was a loud "boo!" from the crowd. Below, the as-of-yet-unnamed Trainer got into a defensive stance.

"But we have someone who's probably just as famous down there!" May called. "Khrista, an Otherworlder!" Upon hearing May's exclamation, the boos turned to cheers, and the named figure below seemed to relax.

"These two Trainers have risen through the Tournament's rounds so far," May continued. "Now that we're in the last round of the finals, things can only heat up!" The crowd roared in agreement.

Joshua rolled his eyes at the siblings' antics. He knew they were trying to ramp up the crowd as much as possible, but it seemed to him that the prospect of two powerful Trainers battling was more than enough. His eyes went over the stances of Red and Khrista - both relaxed - before stopping to look at the Trainer to his left, who was wearing a blue jacket and a red hat on top of a mess of black hair. The boy's brown eyes were also observing the Trainers below.

"Out of all of you guys, she has to be the most like her," the boy finally stated. He looked at Joshua. "Maria, I mean."

Joshua gave the boy a curious look. "You think so?"

"I know so. She and I traveled around Unova when Team Plasma showed up again." He held out his hand for Joshua for shake. "Name's Black."

Joshua shook Black's hand. "Joshua. I remember Red knocking you out of the competition in the semi finals."

Black nodded. "I'd hoped to battle Khrista before I got kicked out, but I guess it didn't work out."

"She was open for a battle before the tournament started."

"I was training on Mt. Coronet from before you guys got back to when Palkia dropped the Colosseum on Cyrus' old foundation and turned the Underground into New Sandgem." The Unova Trainer smirked. "At least I got some new Pokemon to of it."

Joshua nodded. "I saw the Abomasnow you put against Red's Aerodactyl. The temperature felt like it had dropped ten degrees by the time they had both fainted."

Black's eyes widened slightly. "Huh. I guess that I was so into my battle that I didn't notice. And your battle against Ash! It was like you were predicting his every move!"

"I learned that from experience," Joshua responded calmly. He looked down at the two Trainers below, who both looked like the had a PokeBall in one hand. "Looks like it's about to start."

Below, Khrista was grinning at the prospect of a battle against the boy was considered the strongest Trainer in Kanto and Jhoto combined. She didn't know which Pokemon he was going to lead with, and she didn't care at this point - she had chosen her team with Red in mind.

Red was also confident. He had figured out Khrista's strategy, and was prepared to answer in kind. Red was also planning on defeating Joshua, who was waiting for the winner of this match.

"The three-on-three match between Red and Knrista starts now!" Forrest, Brock's brother, called.

Two PokeBalls were tossed out, followed by two flashes ad the two Pokemon were released. Flare and Red's Venasaur were soon standing on the battlefield, which began to morph and change. The ground heated up, turning into obsidian stone as lava pooled into crevices.

Khrista let out a whistle. "Now that is cool. Flare, how about we start things off with a Flamethrower?"

The Flareon smirked, then fired off a steam of fire in the direction of the Grass/Poison-Type.

Red nodded once. "Earthquake."

Saur let out a roar, and slammed the rocky ground when cracks started to appear in the ground, lava seeping out.

"Keep moving, Flare!" Khrista called out. "Try to get as close as you can and use Fire Fang!"

Flare nodded, then started to jump around in floating bits of rock in order to get close to Saur, who had taken both the brunt of the Flamethrower and a couple spurts of lava. Before the Fire-Type could bite the Grass-Type, however, Flare found himself punched into a rock by a ThunderPunch from Poli.

"Seismic Toss!" Red ordered the first Pokemon he had befriended. Before the Pokemon could grab Flare, however, the Fire-Type was gone, replaced by an Electric Mouse. Poli soon found himself covered in static, while Volt stood glaring at him from a floating piece of obsidian.

Khrista nodded in approval. "Your Pokemon are strong, I'll give you that. But can you stand for a little surprise from mine?"

Reid's eyes narrowed. He hadn't seen Khrista use any Pikachu or Raichu in her battles, but he knew what the girl was probably referring to. "Don't let your guard down, Poli! Hydro Pump!"

"Volt, Surf!"

As the Hydro Pump surged towards Volt, the female Pikachu raised her arms, and the lava instantly responded, riding up in a gigantic wave in front of her. As soon as the Hydro Pump hit the wave, steam erupted from the molten rock and covered the battlefield.

"A Pikachu like that is very hard to come by," Ruby noted over the loudspeakers. "Very few learn Hidden Machine attacks like Surf or Fly."

"Light it up!" Khrista called. "Discharge!"

The cloud of water vapor started to darken as electric sparks flew about the cloud. Reid's eyes widened as he realized what Khrista was planning. "Poli, get out of there! Now!"

"Do it!" Khrista responded. "Supercharged Thunder!"

There was a slight rumble rom within the cloud, and a flash as bright as a firework came and went, followed by a loud clap of thunder. By the time the cloud had dissipated, the volcanic ground had no lava left, and the great magma wave had become a rocky cliff, on top of which Volt sat, a proud grin on her face. Below, Poli lay fainted.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle! The victor is Pikachu!" Forrest called out.

Khrista thrust a fist into the air, letting out a whoop of delight. "Nice job, Volt! One down, two to go!"

Volt gave her Trainer a thumbs-up, only to tumble off the cliff when it collapsed underneath her. Grass started to peak up between the rocks, and Volt was soon standing alone on a grassy field.

Red smirked. "For a kid who watched a screen when she used to fight, you seem to know what you're doing." He tossed out a PokeBall, releasing the giant Pokemon that was his Snorlax. "You still have a long way to go, though. Lax, use Double-Edge!"

Khrista let out a laugh. "Two can play at that game! Volt Tackle!"

The two Pokemon charged at each other, their reckless attacks slamming together with a flash and the smell of ozone. When the flash faded, Volt lay there fainted and Lax, although worse for the wear, was still up.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner is Snorlax!" The crowd roared in response to Forrest's words.

Khrista returned Volt to her PokeBall. "What do you say to a hand-to-hand? Caleb, you're on!" The Lucario appeared on the grassy field. "Go in close and use Close Combat!"

"Keep it away with a Mega Punch!" Red countered.

Lax, for all his strength, didn't have the speed that he needed to hit Caleb before the Fighting/Steel-Type could score a hit. The gigantic Normal-Type was down for the could before he even hit the ground.

"Snorlax in unable to battle! The winner is Lucario!"

"Which leaves Red with Saur," Khrista muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Black was shaking his head. "They should have let us go six-on-six, not three-on-three."

Joshua shrugged. "Maybe they'll do that next year."

"Maybe. Maybe they'll have us do Double Battles; who knows?"

Red released Saur from his PokeBall. "This is it." The grass disappeared, and rocks grew into giant pillars out of the battlefield. "Earthquake, Saur!"

"Use ExtremeSpeed to avoid the move as best you can!" Khrista called.

Caleb moved quickly to avoid the cracks that started to appear in the earth, but to no avail; a tower of rock collapsed on him as he dashed by it. Caleb managed to crawl out partway, only to collapse.

"Lucario is unable to battle!" Forrest called. "The victor is Saur!"

"And we're down to one on one," May added.

Khrista fingered Flare's PokeBall, a smile on her face. "This really is it." She released the Flareon onto the battlefield. "No holding back!"

Red nodded. "Saur, Frenzy Plant!"

"Fire Blast, Flare! As strong as you can make it!"

Large roots appeared from the ground and shot at Flare, only to be incinerated by the Fire Blast, which ate up the Grass attack greedily and followed the roots far enough so that it could jump onto Saur. The plant-like lizard let of a roar as the fire began to lick away at him.

"Saur's got a nasty burn," Ruby noted. "It doesn't look like it might have much health left."

Red ignored Ruby's voice. "Saur, use Earthquake to kick up the dirt and put out the fire!"

"Fire Blast!" Khrista called out.

Flare was quick to charge up and fire at Saur as a weak rumbling started to shake the area. Saur, despite his efforts, was quickly taken out.

"Venasaur is unable to battle! The winners are Flareon and Khrista!"

The crowd went nuts. Khrista couldn't help but jump up and down in delight at winning against the Kanto Champion. Flare released a few sparks of flame in celebration, as well.

"We're not done yet today, though," May warned. "Next, it's cousin against cousin in a final match! Joshua, Khrista, you've got an hour to think up a strategy and pick your teams."

Khrista nodded as Flare climbed onto her shoulder, Red having long since returned Saur to his PokeBall. "I've got a feeling that I already know what Joshua is going to use..."

Flare gave his Trainer a curious look. "You do?"

"Yup. And you're not in it. I'll let Nurse Joy look you over, then you can join the other Eeveelutions."

"Aw. I was really hoping you'd let me help beat him this time!"

"You and your cousin have a long-standing rivalry?" Red asked as he came over.

"Yeah," Khrista replied with a smile. "When we first met, we both had gone through Hoenn, and decided that it would be a good idea to test out or strengths. We've been fighting each other whenever we can ever since. This one is really going to be different."

"All that's different is that you're here in our world," Flare pointed out. "Nothing's new other than that."

Khrista laughed. "Easy for you to say. No one in my family can say that they've competed in an actual tournament like this! And with real Pokemon, no less!" A delighted grin crossed her face. "Race you to the Pokemon Center, Red!"

**Line Break. Meanwhile...**

Mesprit looked up, her eyes scanning her cave's entrance as the sound of footfalls echoed throughout her home. _"Who's there?"_

"Lien, relax," a voice responded. "It's only me." A figure wearing a dull red cloak seemed to appear out of nowhere. "I dropped by to check in on you guys and I find Lake Verity in a stadium! What happened while I was gone?"

Mesprit's - or rather, Lien's - eyes widened upon hearing the voice. _"For the love of Arceus, Maria, you really shouldn't startle people like that! And I could ask you the same questions!"_

"What do you mean?" The cloaked figure - whose name seemed to be Maria - cocked her hooded head in confusion.

_"Cyrus came back and managed to take over, then started to pull kids in from another planet - most likely yours."_ Lien crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. _"I'm surprised you weren't dragged along."_

Maria stiffened. "I was on another planet at the time, Lien. I didn't know what Cyrus was doing."

Lien let out a sigh. _"You're lucky we managed to get help when we did. And that a few Trainers from your world managed to set things right."_

Maria's form relaxed. "That's good." Her head turned as she heard the sound of cheering. "So, why did they build the stadium around the lake?"

_"Palkia figured it would be a good idea to set up a monument of some sort where Cyrus' headquarters used to be."_ Lien floated over to hover next to Maria at the cave's entrance. _"They're holding a tournament right now, and from the amount of emotion that's in the air, the last two Trainers are going to go against each other soon."_ Lien closed her eyes. _"Trainers from your world...Khrista and Joshua Langstrom - cousins."_

"Khrista," Maria muttered. "That sounds familiar... Do these kids have a way home?"

Lien shook her head. _"None of the Trainers have the experience you do in this situation."_

"Hmmm..." Maria's hooded head looked out into the lobby, which was presently empty. "I'm curious about what these two kids use on their teams. I'll go watch them. If you could try to round up these other kids, I'd be more than happy to get them home."

Lien smiled. _"Great! We'd better hurry if you want to see Joshua and Khrista, though - I've heard those two are bigger than when you teamed up with Brendan to take out Archie and Maxie!"_

"Really? That is big. Let's go!"


	78. Khrista vs Joshua

Chapter 77

Khrista stood with her arms crossed across her chest on one side of the battlefield, her eyes on her cousin as he walked out. Ruby and May had explained both of their parts in the "Battle of the Citadel," as the plan had been called. The Hoenn Trainers had also mentioned Khrista's abilities as she had chosen her side of the field, and now they were waiting for Joshua to appear.

"And here's Joshua!" Ruby called as the Trainer finally appeared on the stadium floor. "This otherworlder, despite what his cousins have, is one of the few humans without Pokemon-like abilities in any shape or form, the others being Matthew, his girlfriend Kira, her sister Alia, and a random number of the rest."

Khrista frowned. It didn't seem that anyone knew of his telepathic abilities...or that he seemed to have known the weaknesses of the Legendaries without even facing them himself. Noticing that Joshua already had a PokeBall in his hand, she reached down to her belt with her right hand, hovering over the first PokeBall on her belt.

As Joshua stopped, he nodded to Forrest. "Whenever you're ready."

Forrest nodded. "Battle Begin!"

Khrista snatched a PokeBall off her belt, maximized it, then tossed it at the same time Joshua did. After the flashes had faded, Raze stood on one side, and Cedar stood on the other.

"All Hoenns," Joshua stated.

"And no Legendaries," Khrista promised. "Raze, it's time to rock and roll! Blaze Kick!"

"Dig!" Joshua barked.

Cedar disappeared under the battlefield as Raze flew over where the Grass-Type had been. A second later, the Fire/Fighting-Type was tossed into the air when Cedar emerged.

Khrista's eyes narrowed. "Flamethrower down!"

Raze quickly oriented himself while still in the air and fired down at Cedar, who was quickly drenched in flames. The Blazikan then landed on Cedar and leapt back to where he had appeared.

Khrista grinned. "Cedar doesn't look so good," she remarked. "Finish him off with a Fire Blast!"

Raze grinned in response, then threw a ball of fire at Cedar, the attack exploding into it's star-like form about halfway across the battlefield.

"Get down," Joshua stated calmly. Cedar obliged, getting down on all fours and allowing the move to pass over him. Fire Blast almost hit Joshua, but it suddenly dissipated before it could, a shield of energy sparking and dissipating with it.

Khrista frowned slightly upon seeing the shield. She wondered if it had something to do with his telepathic abilities...

"Looks like we're going to have to take this in close," Khrista muttered. "Try a Close Combat!"

"Try?" Cedar repeated with a snort. "What kind of command is that?"

"She's testing us," Joshua responded. "Let's test her back...Leaf Blade!"

Cedar and Raze charged at each other, the blades on the Sceptile's arms becoming a deadly length while Raze's arms blazed with fire. The two Hoenn Starters then began to throw punches and kicks at each other, missing and scoring hits at random intervals.

A fireball suddenly appeared in one of Raze's clawed hands, and he threw it at Cedar's head. The Sceptile ducked, and the fireball actually managed to fly over Joshua's head and into the crowded seats. Khrista could have sworn that someone had actually managed to catch the attack and cause it to dissipate, but she wasn't too sure.

"Raze, don't try that again," Khrista stated. "Do a close-range Flamethrower instead!"

"Use Solarbeam!" Joshua ordered.

Cedar started to charge up the attack at the same time that Raze fired a Flamethrower at the Grass-Type's chest. There was an explosion of smoke - out of which came the Solarbeam attack that his Raze in the chest - but when the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Cedar had used all his remaining energy on the attack.

"Sceptile is unable to battle!" Forrest called. "The winner is Blazikan!"

Joshua nodded slightly as he retuned Cedar to his PokeBall. "Not a bad first impression."

"The same to you." Khrista responded. Her right hand hovered over her belt as she watched Joshua pick his second Pokemon. "You're not going to hold back." It was a statement rather than a question because Khrista knew how her cousin worked in a battle situation.

"Never was," Joshua replied. He tossed the PokeBall, releasing a purple Swampert. "Hydro Cannon."

"Get out of the way!" Khrista shouted in response.

Raze quickly jumped , but the Swampert followed his path and fired the Hydro Cannon on him the moment Raze was clear of the ground and no longer in front of Khrista. Raze hit the wall and became embedded in it, clearly fainted.

"Blazikan is unable to battle! The winner is Swampert!"

Khrista's eyes went wide on the Swampert as she returned Raze to his PokeBall. "Man, Marsh, I never though a Hydro Cannon had that much kick."

March shrugged her shoulders. "Eh. I'm still not as strong as some of Joshua's Pokemon, though."

"Well, you're getting there," Khrista responded calmly. She snatched her second PokeBall from her belt. "EverGreen, you're up!"

Khrista's Sceptile appeared on the battlefield as the ground morphed into a grassy swamp and trees grew up out of the ground.

EverGreen looked around and nodded in approval at his surroundings. "Now this is a good place to have a battle." He grinned at Marsh, who nodded once.

"Leaf Blade!" Khrista called out. EverGreen promptly dashed forward, the leaves on his arms gaining a deadly edge.

"Dodge it," Joshua responded.

Marsh tried to run away from EverGreen's attack, but she was still recovering from the Hydro Cannon, and Sceptile are noticeably faster than Swampert. The Grass-Type was quick to jump on Marsh's back and make a few slash marks in the Shiny Pokemon's back.

"Stay on her and keep using Leaf Blade!" Khrista ordered.

"Shake him off!" Joshua called.

"Get off," Marsh growled. She started to lean to one side, then suddenly started to roll over. EverGreen was quick to jump off, but didn't retreat until he had slashed at her belly.

As Marsh got back on her feet, Joshua stated, "Earthquake."

"Retaliate with Leaf Storm!" Khrista shouted.

The swampy ground began to rumble, the water in the marshy areas seeping into the unsaturated ground. A tree almost fell on EverGreen, bit the Sceptile avoided it and blasted a cyclone filled with pointed leaves at the Water/Ground-Type.

"Mud Shot!" Joshua ordered.

The rumbling in the earth stopped, and Marsh fired a large amount of mud at the oncoming Grass attack. Some of the leaves, laden down by the mud, fell to the ground, but a decent amount of them still hit Marsh.

Marsh shook her head, getting whatever leaves that had stuck to her face. "That wasn't nice!"

"Then this one is going to make you think worse of me," Khrista replied. "Frenzy Plant!"

EverGreen slammed down on all fours, slamming the ground. Roots came out of the earth, and their target was Marsh. Before the Shiny Swampert would move to dodge, the Frenzy Plant was slapping her around, stopping only when she had been slammed into a tree numerous times and knocked out.

"Swampert is unable to battle!" Forrest called. "The winner is Sceptile!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Khrista exclaimed, delighted. "What do you have to say to that, Josh?"

Joshua gave his cousin an indifferent look, then quickly interchanged Pokemon. "Flamethrower."

As the flash from the ball faded, Joshua's Blazikan released a stream of fire, hitting EverGreen square in the chest and branching out over the rest of his body.

"Into the water!" Khrista ordered. "Hurry!"

EverGreen staggered towards the swampy area of the battlefield, collapsing to his knees in front of it. The Sceptile turned and fell into the water on his back, the flames dissipating as the water took hold. However, it was too late - the Pokemon had long since fainted.

"Sceptile is unable to battle!" Forrest called. "The winner is Blazikan!"

Khrista smiled dryly as she returned EverGreen to his PokeBall. "One on one. This is it. No going back."

"No going back," Joshua repeated thoughtfully. "There was no going back the minute Cyrus found out how to get us to this world."

Khrista shrugged, then tossed out her last PokeBall, revealing Swamp. "Mesprit said that Uxie might find us a way back." The swampy mud suddenly gave way to a desert. "Use Muddy Water!"

Swamp spewed water from his mouth, then caused a giant wave of sand and water to make its way over to Blaze. The desert-like conditions didn't make the battlefield a good place to try and run, causing Blaze to continually slide down a dune before the water overtook him.

"Gah!" Blaze exclaimed, coughing up some of the water that entered his lungs. "Why you little-"

"Close Combat!" Joshua ordered.

"Hydro Pump!" Khrista shot back.

Blaze dashed at Swamp, who blasted the Fire/Fighting-Type back with a wall of water. The Blazikan was sent into a dune, which collapsed on the Pokemon.

For a moment, Khrista thought that the Pokemon had probably fainted within the dune. Forrest was about to call out the result when Blaze suddenly burst out of the dune, fire blazing around him; the Blazikan's Blaze ability had been activated.

"How could it have survived that?" Khrista demanded of her cousin. "Hydro Cannon is the strongest Water-Type attack in existence!"

"Blaze has more Defense than that attack has power," Joshua responded smoothly. "Close Combat."

"Let's go for a Hammer Arm!"

Swamp charged at Blaze, bringing his arm back for a punch that could have easily sent a different target into the wall. The Blazikan charged, as well, preparing for a few punches himself. The sand was instantly kicked up in the scuffle, obscuring everyone's view of the battle. Khrista watched with worry for her Pokemon - she wished desperately that she could see what was going on. Unfortunately, her eyesight was not like a Pokemon's, so she couldn't see through the sand.

Slowly, the sand began go back into the ground, and the two Pokemon were revealed, their forelegs interlocked. For a moment, Khrista thought that Swamp and Blaze were trying to wrestle each other to the ground, but then she realized that they were supporting each other with their weight. The teen frowned, wondering why they would do such a thing.

Blaze, who appeared to be panting heavily, looked from Swamp's face to Khrista's and back, a curious look in his eyes. A determined look soon replaced this, however, and with a nod, Blaze pulled out of Swamp's grip.

The two Pokemon and their Trainers stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, the crowd around them falling into a quiet whisper that carried throughout the stadium.

Swamp's form seemed to waver for a moment, almost as though he was about to collapse, but the Pokemon quickly steadied himself. Blaze suddenly leaned forward, then pinwheeled his arms in order to keep himself balanced. Both of the Pokemon then start to fall, but only one of them managed to gather enough energy to stay upright.

As soon as the exhausted Pokemon hit the ground, Forrest exclaimed, "Blazikan is unable to battle! Khrista and Swampert win!"

The crowd instantly exploded into cheers and loud whistles as the two Trainers returned their Pokemon to their PokeBalls. A large grin had plastered itself on Khrista's face - this was the first time that she had actually managed to defeat her cousin in battle. Joshua had a slight smile on, as well, but not as big a one as what Khrista had.

"Congratulations Khrista!" May called out. "That's it for this year's Verity Tournament, guys! Hope you can all come by next year!"

Khrista let out a short laugh. "Will I ever!" She turned and walked away from the battlefield, watching the crowd as the people seemed to move as one towards the exits. Catching sight of a family of three near the front row, her grin shrunk, and a sad look came into her eyes. "I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing..."

Despite the crowds, Khrista managed to reach the Pokemon Center in the stadium easily. Handing Nurse Joy her team, she turned and leaned back on the counter, watching as the spectators filed out of the stadium through the exits. Most of the kids were carrying small plush dolls, a few of which were lookalikes of Pokemon that had been in the Tournament (Jessie's and James' work, no doubt), as well as Vs. Recorders, which had probably been used to record the kids' favorite battles in the Tournament. The teen could hear some of the younger generation near her arguing about who was a better Trainer - Red or Ash - and who was a better Coordinator - May or Platinum. A few kids claimed that Khrista was probably a Mew in human form, according to what they had heard, and wanted to try to catch the otherworlder after they had started out on their journeys. Khrista couldn't help but feel amused at the idea of her being catchable. She was human first and foremost, after all.

"Hey."

Khrista turned her head as Nurse Joy placed her PokeBalls on the counter, but it hadn't been the nurse who had spoken. Instead, a figure wearing a dull red cloak and hood caught the teen's attention.

"You're Khrista, right?" the figure asked in a feminine tone.

Khrista nodded, taking the PokeBalls and clipping them to her belt. "Yeah, that's me. Who're you?"

"Who I am is none of your concern at the moment," the figure replied. "Mesprit wants to see you at her cave. Come on." With that, the stranger turned and started to head through the crowd towards the lake, which was in the center of the lobby.

Khrista caught up with the figure easily. "I think it is too my business. You know my name, so I want to know yours."

The figure's head turned. "It's White." She turned back to face the lake and strode forward, stopping at the lake's edge.

Khrista's eyes widened. "White? As in _the_ White? The kid that Ruby mentioned?"

The figure seemed to turn to look at Khrista again. "Is there another?" The figure leaned forward. "There she is."

Khrista turned to look. As well, catching sight of Mesprit, who was leading a large group of kids over to the lake - the same kids who had been taken from her world.

"Do we have everybody?" White asked.

Mesprit nodded. _"All the other kids were hanging around Joshua, so it was easy to round them up."_

"Round us up?" Joshua forced his way our of the crowd, followed by Maya and Tina, who looked like they had become slightly bigger than when Khrista had first arrived. "What did you need to round us up for?"

White stepped around Khrista. "Lien, I think I can take it from here."

Khrista frowned as Mesprit nodded. Since when was the Legendary's name Lien?

"Who are you?" Tina asked, looking the figure over.

"I'm White," White responded. "The Trainer whose path you otherworlders have been following through those games of yours."

There was a collective gasp from the kids.

"If you're White, then where were you when we attacked Cyrus' tower?" Maya demanded.

There was a nervous chuckle. "I was actually on another world at the time, and it seems that Cyrus couldn't reach it."

"I find that hard to believe," Khrista remarked.

"I don't." Everyone turned to look at Joshua. "It could be that Cyrus only had his transport thing to a specific target - our world. If White was on a world that Cyrus didn't know about, then it would make sense that she wouldn't be pulled into what we went through."

White nodded. "That's right."

Grace rose up out of the crowd and flew forward, landing beside Maya. "Then how did you travel between worlds?"

"I have an ability that I obtained while on my travels," White explained. A white glove appeared from beneath the folds of her cloak, and an instant later, a blue, swirling portal appeared over the edge of the lake. "This is your ticket home, if you want it."

Khrista frowned. "And how would you know that?"

"I live on your world myself, remember?" White responded dryly. "I can guarantee that you will arrive home safely." She motioned to the portal again. "It won't stay open for long, so choose quickly."

Eliza forced her way through the crowd and stood beside Grace. "I'm willing to try it."

White made a motion towards the portal. "Go ahead."

The Espeon and Angeleon looked at each other, nodded, then stepped through the portal and disappeared.

Khrista looked at her cousin with a curious look on her face. When Joshua nodded, the teen stepped forward.

"Come on, guys," she said. "Let's go home."


	79. Home

Chapter 78

Khrista looked around the street as she stepped out of the portal, her eyes widening in surprise. Turning to have a better look at her surroundings, she took in a sniff of the surrounding air. "We're close to my house. I can smell Mom's flower garden from here."

Joshua's nose twitched. "So can I. It must be either spring or summer."

"School just ended about a week back," explained a voice. Everyone turned to see White standing beside the portal they had come out of. "About the same time you all disappeared."

Matthew and Collin looked at each other in surprise, as did Alia and Kira.

"A week?" Matthew repeated. "It felt like longer."

"Time tends to fluctuate between worlds," White explained. "A day here can be an hour in another place, and an hour here could be a year somewhere else. Because time was out of flux in the Pokemon World, it took longer than it was supposed to - a day here is a year there, on average." She motioned to the houses on either side of them. "You should go home to your families and tell them what happened to you." She started to step into the portal.

"Wait," Khrista said. "What about your parents?"

White paused. "They know of what I'm capable of. All they ask is that I tell them where I've gone when I return." With that, she stepped into the portal, which winked out of existence.

Joshua turned to look at Maya, Tina, Grace, and Eliza, who had been standing nearby without saying a word. "Well, guys, it's time to-" He stopped short upon seeing the four. "You're back to normal!"

Maya giggled. "Well, almost."

Maya was back in a seven-year-old's human form, but there were a few things about her appearance that hinted at her Pokemon form. She had brown hair and brown eyes, and was wearing a simple, brown dress which had white on the upper half.

Tina had also changed, becoming a six-year-old human girl, but her dress was a soft, spring green, and her eyes were a deep, forest green.

Eliza had become a fifteen-year-old, her outfit that of a pink dress. Her eyes were a deep pink with green flecks - the only hint at what her eyes used to look like - and her hair was a light pink.

Grace carried the most Pokemon traits out of all of them. Her eyes were a deep sky blue, and she wore a light blue dress with white trim. Her hair was a dusty blue, and a pair of wings sprouted from her back. Plus, despite the fact that she was supposed to be Maya's age, Grace now looked like she was nine rather than seven.

Khrista let of a whistle. "I guess your Pokemon forms are morphed into your human forms, then."

Maya grinned. "At least we can go around looking like this and not like a Pokemon!" She looked around, frowning slightly as she did so. "But where did the other kids go?"

"Maybe White managed to send them to their neighborhoods, too," Kira suggested. "Or, at least, somewhere where they can reach home." She looked pointedly at Joshua. "We should probably get moving - they've probably seen us by now."

Matthew nodded in agreement. "We should head to my house, first. Mom and Dad are the most lenient of all of our parents, in my opinion."

Joshua frowned. "And why's that?"

"Because they deal with our sister going off on her own all the time." Matthew started to walk towards a tan-sided two-story on the left side of the street. "They can probably get you a ride home if you need it, too." Leading the rest of the group up onto the porch, Matthew knocked on the front door, which looked like it had been painted a light green the color of Tina's dress.

The door flew open, and a girl in a red shirt, jeans, and an orange jacket flew out of the entrance. "Matt! You're back!"

Matthew let out a gasp of surprise and stumbled backwards a little. "Hey, there, Maria. Since when did you get so heavy?"

Matt's blue-eyed, light-brown haired sister chuckled. "I've been working out." She released her brother from the hug she had trapped him in. "Come on - we've been wondering when you would get back from that whatever-it-was that took you in the first place."

Khrista gave Maria a curious look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Matt's not the kind of guy to run away," Maria responded. "And especially not with Collin. We figured that someone had probably kidnapped him - the same guy who took everybody else." She ushered everyone inside, where her identical three year-younger sister and parents were waiting. "Hey, Mom! Dad! Liz! Look who just got back!"

Maria's mother's green eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the group enter the room. "Matthew! Collin!" She rushed forward, black hair flying, forcing in everyone from the mud room and into the living room as she hugged her two sons. "Where have you two been? We were worried sick!"

"You probably wouldn't believe us," Matthew started.

Then Collin sneezed, letting out a spark of electricity.

Their mother released them quickly, while Khrista watched with amusement.

"Collin, what just happened?" Maria asked, coming over to stand by the youngest in the family.

"I guess I'm getting a cold," Collin responded with a nervous smile.

"And you need to keep out of sight," Khrista remarked. "Who knows what would happen if people outside of this house found out you were an Electric-Type like Ash?"

Maria looked between Khrista and Collin in confusion. "What are you talking about? Electric-Type?" She frowned, her blue eyes darkening in thought. "It sounds like there's more to this than just your average kidnapping..." She motioned to the living room. "And you aren't leaving until you tell us what's going on."

Maria's mother glared at her eldest daughter. "Maria, we can't keep these kids here. Matthew and Collin can tell us what happened, and the rest can go home."

"Mom, that girl has _wings_ for Chaos' sake!"

Joshua blinked. "Chaos?"

"Sonic video game character," Matthew supplied. "She uses him in place of other things that could be said."

"Oh, _that_ Chaos."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Mom, half of these kids don't look like they're from around here."

"Their my cousins and their friends," Khrista supplied. "My mom and dad know where they live and can get them home." She started to head for the door, but Maria stopped her.

"If you could just tell us the basics of what had happened -" the teen started.

"Cyrus managed to take over the Pokemon World and decided that he needed kids who had played the video games to be in his brainwashed army," Khrista stated flatly. "When I got there, I retained my free will, got my Rayquaza to free Giratina, then obtained new powers through the machine Cyrus was planning on destroying my free will with. There was a group of Trainers under the tower that managed to keep their free will and memories from before, and I managed to join up with them after getting out of the tower. Joshua had kept his free will, too - Jirachi and Mewtwo had attacked and sabotaged it right before he went through - and we started to plot a way to get rid of Cyrus' work. Darkrai was a big help in that."

"How did you keep your free will?" Maria's mother asked.

"Azelf messed with the machine before I went through. It exploded right after. Darkrai managed to keep Cyrus from getting enough sleep, so he wasn't fit to lead right when we set out plan in motion, which involved getting everyone else free - including Matt and Collin." Khrista sighed. "After that, we had to go and hunt down Dialga and Palkia and free them. Then, we had a tournament to commemorate our victory, and ran into a mysterious Trainer named White, who got us home."

Maria's mother and Maria exchanged glances, but said nothing.

"What about the whole wing situation?" Maria asked, motioning to Grace.

"My name is Grace," Grace responded, a little annoyed. "And I've got wings because when I was in that other world, I was an Eevee that managed to evolve into a Flying-Type - and Angeleon, to be specific." Grace put one arm around Maya and another around Tina. "Maya was turned into an Eevee, too, and Tina was a Chikorita."

"And some of the transformation still holds," Maria's mother noted. She turned her attention to Eliza. "And you?"

"I'm Eliza, Grace's older sister," Eliza replied. "I was also turned into an Eevee, but I evolved into an Espeon."

"Angeleon," Maria muttered. "That's new. How'd you do it?"

"I had to hold a Pretty Wing when I went through Luminous Spring, but I don't know anything other than that," Grace replied.

Maria nodded absently. "That makes sense..." She looked at Khrista. "Those new powers you mentioned - what are they?"

Khrista exchanged glances with her cousin, who let out a sigh and nodded slightly.

"You might want to follow me outside for this," Khrista stated. She slipped out the door, the rest of the group following. Upon reaching the sidewalk, Khrista stopped.

"According to the Lake Trio, every time someone passed through Cyrus' machine, they left some DNA behind," Khrista explained, "so some kids ended up getting extra powers - Collin and his electric sneezing fit, for instance. Right before I was put in, Azelf managed to rig it so that all the residual DNA went to me." Khrista smiled sheepishly. "Caleb, my Lucario, later told me that my aura felt like Rayquaza's."

Maria's eyes widened, and she looked over at her sister, who appeared bored with the ordeal. "Wow. Does that mean you have a lot of Dragon-Type DNA in you?"

"Not just." Khrista smirked. "I'm pretty much a human Mew."

Liz looked skeptical, eyes narrowing behind metal, purple glasses. "Prove it."

Khrista frowned. "Prove it? I don't know if I can - you saw what happened to Maya and the others."

"Just try," Joshua suggested. "The Flying-Type should be more than enough."

Khrista gave her cousin a suspicious look, but complied. She stepped back a few feet from the rest of the group, closed her eyes and concentrated on the skies.

For a moment, nothing happened, but when Khrista opened her eyes, she found herself floating a few feet above everyone's heads, and Maria and her family were staring at her with wide eyes.

"This," Khrista said, starting to fly around in a lazy circle above the group, "is nothing. I had to hit Ash with a powerful Electric attack in order to free him from the Red Chain that was binding him. That was with five other Electric-Types, and it's also the reason Ash is now an Electric-Type." She landed next to Maria. "I'm sure that there are some people who are thinking that I'm more Pokemon than human because of what I can do."

"Kristine!"

Everyone's heads turned to see a woman with bright red hair and blue eyes running from a blue two-story across the street. "Kristine, are you all right?"

"Mom, I'm fine," Khrista responded calmly. "Just had a little incident on another planet."

"Another planet?" Khrista's mother repeated. "You might as well have been on the other side of the galaxy for all I would've known. Now, come inside, and we'll try to figure out how to get you to stop flying..."

"Mom." Khrista gave her mother a hard look. "No one would be able to get me to stop flying even if I wanted them to. The Pokemon DNA is a part of my system, and you're not getting it out. I know you've been worried about me, but you really shouldn't have to carry it over to after I've come back."

"It's not that, honey," Mrs. Langstrom replied. "I just want to make sure you can lead the most normal life possible."

_"I'm afraid that normal is out of the question."_ Everyone looked around to find the source of the voice, but then Joshua glanced upward.

"Mewtwo?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" At the same time, Maria was making faces at the Psychic-Type, but no one seemed to notice.

_"Arceus sent me here after he learned that you had been sent home by White,"_ Mewtwo explained as he landed beside them. _"When he had heard that White had sent you home, he sent me to make sure that you had all arrived safely."_

Khrista's eyes widened. "Arceus could have sent us home? Why didn't he?"

_"White is from your world, and therefore her way of travel is more friendly. Had it been Arceus who had sent you home, things might not have turned out as they did."_

Mrs. Langstrom looked extremely pale at the sight of the Psychic-Type. Khrista, taking note of this, decided to try and comfort her mother.

"Mom, this is Mewtwo. Mewtwo, this is my mom," Khrista stated, giving the two a quick introduction.

Mewtwo nodded in acknowledgement in Mrs. Langstrom's direction. _"You should be the mother of this young woman. she has done more than most Trainers wish to do in a lifetime."_

Mrs. Langstrom swallowed and nodded nervously. "T-thank you?"

"You don't need to be so nervous, Mom," Khrista remarked. "Mewtwo's not the kind of Pokemon to attack at random."

_"I only attack if my allies are harmed in any way,"_ Mewtwo responded calmly. He looked at Mrs. Langstrom a little more carefully, then looked between her and Khrista. _"I see very little of you in your daughter,"_ he remarked to Mrs. Langstrom.

"She got everything about her from her father," Mrs. Langstrom replied quickly.

Khrista's eyes narrowed. "Mom, you said that all I got from you and Dad were your eyes and my fiery temper."

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed, and he was about to say something when a light flashed above his head. Looking up, the Psychic-Type stated, _"Arceus wishes that I return."_

Khrista frowned, then let out a sigh. "Is it possible that you'll be able to visit sometime?"

_"Not I,"_ Mewtwo responded._"However, it is possible for you to summon your other Pokemon to this world."_

Khrista gave the Legendary a curious look. "How? It's not like I can create portals like you and White can."

_"Your PokeDex can provide you with the means to do that. It is practically a human laptop, but with the capabilities of a Pokemon Center's PC. Find the Pokemon you wish to bring to this world, and it will be brought. And that also goes for those of you who managed to obtain your PokeDexes from the Professors."_ With a final nod of farewell, Mewtwo rose up into the air and vanished.

Khrista looked up for a moment longer, then looked at the red backpack on her back, since it hadn't left her since the battle against Primal Dialga and Primal Palkia. Moving swiftly, she took the backpack off and zipped it open. to her surprise, the only item within was the red electronic device that Professor Birch had given her. Grinning, she removed it from her backpack and started to scroll through the Dex entries.

"Which one will I bring over first?" she asked herself.


	80. Aftermath

Chapter 79

Khrista took in a breath of fresh air, smelling the flowers that decorated the neighborhood. It had been about three weeks since she and the others had come back from their adventure in the Pokemon World, and the teen was relieved to finally be allowed outside properly in weeks without any sort of human escort, and the teen was looking forward to actually being able to interact with people other than the owners of the Pokemon Company (who had come over the minute she had revealed on a local TV station where everyone had gone) and the multitudes of reporters who had tried to get an interview with her. Luckily, the paparazzi that had come for some pictures of her in private had quickly left town as soon as they had discovered a new sort of bodyguard - Khrista's Pokemon.

However, despite the fact that everyone was back at home, one thing still bothered Khrista - the strange girl, White, who had managed to bring them home. There was something about her that seemed to be familiar, but Khrista couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe she was a Trainer the teen had seen at a distance on the Pokemon World...? No, no one had been wearing a dull red cloak like that.

As the teen was walking around, trying to think up a connection to the figure, a voice suddenly called out, "Hey, you there!"

Khrista's head turned, the frown on her face becoming even deeper. "What do you want, Mandy?"

A teen wearing ripped jeans, designer shoes, and a shirt with a Pikachu that was two sizes too small approached Khrista, a slightly sinister grin on her face. "I'd heard that you've got some pretty strong Pokemon. I want to test them out." She threw back her mussy, dark red hair so that she could get a better look at Khrista.

Khrista had kind of been expecting this. Ever since she had managed to return, she had decided that she would take her DS Lite and PokeDex when she went anywhere, just in case anyone got the notion to challenge her, human or Pokemon escort or no.

"Well, I certainly don't see why not," Khrista remarked calmly. She removed her red portable gaming device from a jeans pocket. "Do you have a Gen 5 game?"

Mandy nodded, the smirk never leaving her face. "Black 2. You?"

"White 2." _Huh. Looks like she had to take the one as black as her cheating reputation._ "Do you want to do it right now or -"

"Why not?" Mandy motioned to a picnic table that had been sitting in a small park along the sidewalk. "So long as you don't cheat."

Khrista rolled her eyes as she moved over to the table. "Really, Mandy. Did you think that everyone who cheated was taken by Cyrus? Then you would've been among his top ten." She sat down and turned on her DS, appearing in a Pokemon Center as soon as she got the Unova game up and running. Then she removed her PokeDex from another pocket and turned that on, as well.

"What's that thing supposed to be?" Khrista's adversary asked as she sat down, her blue DSi XL already in hand.

"It's the PokeDex I got from Professor Birch," Khrista responded calmly. "What does it look like?"

"A 3DS."

Khrista smirked. "Right. Like I would want one of those things - there isn't a slot for a Gameboy, so I can't transfer with that." Her eyes went to the screen of her DS. "Single or Double?"

"Single," Mandy answered quickly. "And no restrictions."

_Because that's the only way you can use your cheats,_ Khrista mentally muttered. "All right. I'm waiting for you to join up." She looked at her PokeDex, smiling to herself as the screen she liked the most popped up. "Okay, okay. I'll let you out." She pressed the confirm button on the device.

A bright flash came out of the PokeDex, taking the form of a small, electric rodent. When the light faded, it was revealed that Bolt was sitting on the picnic table.

Mandy's brown eyes widened. "No. Way. You can actually summon Pokemon?"

"Summon _my_ Pokemon, you mean. Bolt, meet Mandy, my adversary for today. Mandy, this is Bolt, the son if my two Raichu, and a little flying rodent - one of the few who can actually learn the move."

Mandy's eyes widened. "A Pikachu that knows Fly? That has to be a cheat."

The Pikachu gave Mandy a curious look. "Cheat? What do you mean, cheat?"

"Some of the Trainers around here like to find ways around regular training or natural order," Khrista explained. "That creature called Mewthree? He's a cheat - or a glitch in the game, at least." Turning to look at Mandy, she added, "SoulSilver. There was an event for the PokeWalker concerning a place called 'Yellow Forest.' Bolt and his sister Volt lived there after evolving into Pikachu. I found them there and brought them home - took a while to find them, though."

Bolt smirked. "Yellow Forest has a lot of hiding places."

Mandy gave him a curious look. "What did he just say?"

Khrista exchanged glances with Bolt, then said, "He was just commenting on how the Forest had a lot of places to hide from passing Trainers." She looked over at her PokeDex. "Are we going to fight or not?"

Mandy nodded vigorously. "We definitely are."

Bolt's eyes widened. "You mean I actually get to see how you guys run your avatars from here?"

Khrista nodded. "Although, I don't exactly have one like the others..." She motioned to the PokeDex's screen. "Remember?"

The Pikachu nodded. "It was nice of them to get you your own lookalike," he remarked. He looked over at the DS' screen, watching as Khrista's form purposefully flickered her shirt through the whole Type spectrum, before settling on its original red shade, the figure with her hands on her hips, grinning at the prospect of a battle.

Mandy's eyes widened. "Where and how did you get that?" she demanded.

"A gift from the Pokemon Company," Khrista responded carelessly. "They were so glad for a new spin on the Pokemon world that they made an avatar for me as thanks." She shrugged. "It's not really all that of a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" her adversary repeated. "You've got to be the only kid who's got one of those!"

"There's still your second-removed cousin, Joshua. He and his sisters filled in what I left out." Khrista smirked, watching the avatars.

Mandy let out a growl. "Well, I've still got Pokemon that are stronger than yours."

"We'll see about that."

On the DS screen, Mandy's Black 2 female-Trainer figure faded out as a Cherish Ball popped open, revealing a black Rayquaza. Khrista's form then threw a Master Ball, letting loose her own Rayquaza.

Khrista's gaze went to her PokeDex's screen, where the same sort of thing was being shown, though on a more 3-D scale. "Picked up Oda Nobunaga's Rayquaza, huh?"

"Traded for it on GTS," Mandy replied, grinning.

_"Sheesh, old man! You look like you've seen better days."_

_"Quiet, peasant. You do not have the right to speak to me in such a manner."_

"Riiight," Khrista muttered into her PokeDex, ignoring the look Mandy was giving her. "Rayquaza, knock him out, like we did to Corza last time."

The green Rayquaza on the screen nodded, then summoned a Draco Meteor.

"Where were those voices coming from?" Mandy asked.

"Those were the telepathic voices of your and my Rayquaza," Khrista explained calmly. "The PokeDex works kind of like a communicator." She smirked, watching as the Shiny Rayquaza's health bar dropped to zero and the giant Pokemon collapsed. "One down, five to go."

_"He wasn't a challenge,"_ Rayquaza remarked. _"Bring on the next one."_

Mandy gritted her teeth with frustration. "Useless," she muttered. The black Rayquaza disappeared into its Cherish Ball, being replaced a moment later by the form of an Eeveelution - a Glaceon.

_"Oh, boy,"_ Rayquaza remarked.

"Keep your head," Khrista muttered. "I've got this." She turned her attention to her DS, where she switched out Rayquaza, replacing him with another Pokemon. Caleb soon took the stage in the Legendary's place.

The Lucario on the PokeDex screen looked around, glanced back at the screen, then gave Khrista a thumbs-up. "Let's do this."

Khrista nodded in agreement. "Move fast and strike hard - Aura Sphere."

Caleb promptly moved quickly, getting into the trademark stance of the Pokemon's species as he charged up the attack. The Glaceon charged up, as well, only it seemed to be holding something uncomfortable in its mouth.

The two Pokemon quickly unleashed their attacks at once, and Khrista realized why the Glaceon had looked uncomfortable. The Ice-Type had just unleashed a Flamethrower, which had caught the Aura Sphere, causing an explosion on the battlefield.

Khrista's eyes narrowed, as did Mandy's, although the latter had a different reason.

"Missed?" she demanded. "How can that miss? You never miss!"

"Dragon Pulse," Khrista muttered. "Maybe we can fight fire with fire."

Caleb nodded without looking back this time, charged up, and fired off a beam of draconic energy, catching the Glaceon off guard and sending it flying out of battle. This caused Mandy to beat the table with frustration.

"That's two," Khrista noted. "Who's next?"

Mandy let out a low growl as she retrieved Glaceon, but that was soon replaced with a sinister grin. "You'll see."

Khrista frowned. Mandy had already used up two of her more "legal" Pokemon, and she most likely had a glitch of some sort on her team. If she was bringing out that glitch now, she probably thought she was going to win with that one Pokemon.

A PokeBall quickly appeared on the PokeDex's screen, popping open with a flash of light, revealing a large Pokemon's form. When the light faded, a Rhyperior was glaring at Caleb. A white Rhyperior.

Khrista's eyes narrowed as Mandy grinned triumphantly.

"I found this guy wandering around Stark Mountain!" she explained proudly. "It was only a Rhydon at the time, though. So I evolved it."

"Are you back to normal?" Caleb asked. "Your Type isn't messed up anymore, is it?"

The Rhyperior snorted. "Palkia kept his promise and changed me back, but the coloring won't go away. That's why I went to him in the first place - I wanted to turn back to normal. No Pokemon wants to look like this."

"If you caught Pokerus and it changed your color, I don't really see it as a problem," Caleb responded. "It just shows your more powerful than other Rhyperior of your level." He grinned. "And I'm more than ready to test that out."

Khrista's eyes widened slightly, then grinned. "All right, then. Start with another Aura Sphere, Caleb."

Caleb nodded and threw the ball of blue energy at the Shiny Pokemon in front of him. In response, Rhyperior threw up a Protect, causing the move to bounce off and dissipate.

Khrista's eyes narrowed. "You've certainly taken every precaution with this one," she noted.

Mandy grinned. "And that's not all!"

"Close Combat," Khrista muttered under her breath. "Quickly."

Caleb dashed forward and was about to punch the Rhyperior when the ground began to shake. Caleb stumbled and was hit by a piece of what appeared to be a roof. The Lucario fell down and didn't get back up.

Khrista let out a growl of annoyance as Mandy grinned in triumph. Bolt noticed the anger sparking in his Trainer's eyes, and grabbed her shoulder. Khrista then forced herself to calm down and released her next Pokemon.

Vapor appeared out of his PokeBall and sat down calmly on the battlefield, giving the Shiny Rhyperior a curious look. "Who was taken out this time?"

"Caleb," Khrista replied. "It's used Earthquake and Protect so far."

"Uh-huh. I see what needs to be done. I've been working on this combo for a while." The Water-Type crouched, then fired off a beam of ice as large as a Hydro Pump. Rhyperior was instantly frozen in a block of ice.

"What was that?" Khrista asked, eyes wide. Mandy's eyes had widened to the point of bursting out of her head.

"That has to be a cheat!" Mandy exclaimed.

"Vapor calls it Icicle Blast," Bolt supplied. "It costs Power Points from Ice Beam, Aurora Beam, and Hydro Pump."

"And I need to recharge," Vapor added. He watched calmly as Rhyperior broke out of the ice block and caused another Earthquake. Vapor shook his head. "That didn't hurt much. Let's give this another shot."

"Muddy Water," Khrista suggested. She grinned at Mandy. "You can do another Icicle Blast again if Rhyperior refuses to faint."

Mandy folded her arms across her chest. "Cheater," she muttered.

"Riiiight," Khrista replied smoothly. "You do realize that each move that a Pokemon uses was made up through creativity and necessity? Icicle Blast is probably going to show up soon enough in future games." She looked down at the PokeDex screen, which showed that Rhyperior had long since fainted and Mandy was considering her next Pokemon. "Three down."

Mandy let out a growl. "You're not helping, you know that?" She pressed a few buttons on her DSi, and another Pokemon appeared on the screen - a Shiny Giratina. "See if you can beat that!"

Vapor looked back at his Trainer, a bored expression on his face. "Is she serious?"

"Yeah, she is," Khrista admitted. Her eyes went over to her DS screen, taking note that the Sinnoh Legendary was out up a Level 100. "Let's go with Ice Beam."

Vapor nodded, then turned to face the Giratina and fired off the attack. Khrista could see that the Legendary had started to become fuzzy around the edges, and wasn't sure if that meant it was a glitch or that it was about to use Shadow Force. Whatever the case, the Giratina didn't have a chance - it was fainted by Vapor's Ice Beam.

The Eeveelution let out a bored yawn. "How much longer to we have to go?"

"Not too long, I don't think," Khrista replied. "We've already taken down four of her Pokemon."

Mandy let it a growl in response, taking note of the look Bolt was giving her. "You ain't seen nothin' yet," she muttered, quoting one of the songs that was known to pop up on the radio from time to time. A moment later, a slightly familiar figure appeared in front of them.

Vapor bristled at the sight of the figure. "She's got one of Mewtwo's family!"

Khrista's eyes scanned the strange, yellow-and-green figure in front of them. "Either she found it in Cerulean Cave, or... Vapor, Icicle Blast!"

Before Vapor could even fire off the new-found "Ultimate Ice attack," the Mewtwo charged up an Electro Ball and threw it at Vapor. The Water-Type was down in an instant.

Khrista's eyes narrowed, and she went through her team in order to find a Pokemon that might be able to take out the Legendary without trouble. However, she was unsure as to what moves Mandy might have taught the Mewtwo to replace other water.

"All right," she muttered. "Let's go with her." She pressed the "A" button, and a flash appeared on the PokeDex screen.

"Whoo! Let's bring them down!"

Mandy gave Khrista a look of shock. "More cheats?"

"No," Khrista responded. "It's Mist, my Shiny Angeleon."

Mist, now a golden Angeleon with silver wings, flapped her feathered appendages as she looked the Mewtwo over. "Oh, great. Another one."

Khrista gave her an odd look. "Another one?"

"A lot of Trainers we've come across ever since you left had all sorts of Shiny Legendaries. This guy won't be a problem."

Khrista smirked. "All right, then. Let's go with a Dark move."

Mist nodded. "Let's go. Dark Pulse!" Her fur darkened suddenly, and a dark shockwave went out from her, hitting Mewtwo. The Shiny Legendary dropped to one knee, looking a little more sickly than he already did.

Mandy's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-what-"

"Mist is one of those Pokemon that gains odd moves through unusual circumstances," Khrista explained calmly. "All right, Mist. Finish him off."

Mist's tail twitched, and she flew up into the air. "Let's go! Sky Slam!" She rammed into Mewtwo with everything she had, taking out the Shiny Legendary.

Mandy's eyes narrowed. "You cheat!"

"You're the one who wanted it 'no restrictions'," Khrista replied. "Besides, I'm only using my DS as a connector to your system, so that you can see what I'm doing on my PokeDex." She turned the red device so that Mandy could see the screen. "See? I can see what my team's doing without the DS, and I can keep track of yours if they're close enough." She turned the PokeDex back around before Mandy could do anything to it. "What's your last Pokemon?"

Mandy blinked, then grinned. "You won't expect this one."

On the screen, there was a flash...and the area instantly became black, with a strange creature in front of Mist. Sometimes, it looked like an identifiable Pokemon, and other times, it turned into a box of glitched data.

Bolt frowned. "What is that?"

"What did you do, Mandy?" Khrista asked.

"That is Missingno., the first Pokemon glitch," Mandy replied proudly. "And the only one to actually existed in the first games. It took me a lot of work to get it into my Black 2 game."

"You mean a lot of hacking," Khrista responded. "You're an idiot if you think that did nothing to the game. Mist, try another Dark Pulse."

Mandy laughed. "That won't do anything against this one. It's invincible!"

Mist snorted. "If it were that, then Arceus would make sure that it's dead!" She fired off a Dark Pulse, but that didn't seem to have an effect. "By Zapdos' ThunderBeak! Just die already!" She reared back and fired a blue sphere of energy, causing the strange creature to suddenly shriek in pain, the strange creature flickering into a backwards-L shape for a moment.

Khrista blinked In surprise. "I recognize that shape from somewhere... Try another Aura Sphere!"

Mist nodded and fired off a second, only for it to bounce off a Protect.

"What is this thing?" Mist demanded.

"Mandy said it's a glitch," Khrista muttered. "If it doesn't like Fighting-Type moves, and it's got a Protect up... Try another Aura Sphere; it can't keep that energy shield up forever."

Mandy frowned. "Protect? I didn't order it to do that."

"The Pokemon was never meant to exist; in case you haven't noticed, the monster has already affected the battlefield." Khrista motioned for Mandy to come over, showing the teen what was going on. "You're an idiot, Mandy. Cheating is not the way to go, especially when this world is _real_."

"You shouldn't cheat, anyway!" Mist snapped. "Trainers have been disqualified from tournaments for trying to be people they're not." She fired another Aura Sphere, but the Missingno. refused to faint. "I'm going to need everyone's help out here!"

In response, Rayquaza, Flare, and the real Mewtwo appeared in flashes of light.

Mewtwo took one look at the monster and growled in annoyance. _"Great. The computer virus has found it's way into the real world. It's weakness is Fighting, but anything else can still do damage. Let's move."_ He charged up an Aura Sphere and fired it at Missingno, causing it to shriek in pain a second time.

Mandy swallowed nervously. "What did Mewtwo mean by that?"

Khrista frowned. "My guess is that Team Rocket originally intended for Missingno. to be a computer virus they could use to take out computer systems, but it became too powerful and the sealed it away."

_"Correct."_ Mewtwo ducked a ricocheting Aura Sphere. _"They planned on destroying every computer system in the police force, but Missingno. liked their systems more."_ He fired off another Aura Sphere, adding, _"They tore apart its programming to make sure it couldn't damage anything they had, and it seems your friend had the knowledge to put it back together."_ The Psychic Legendary quickly changed tactics, small bolts of Psychic energy appearing out of the air around him and striking the monster repeatedly. _"We have to tear it apart before it does the same to this world."_

All the Pokemon nodded and started to attack at once, each aiming for one spot on the monster. The Missingno. thrashed wildly, then tried to answer in kind, but Mewtwo stopped his attack to set up a Barrier to keep the monster's attacks back.

Slowly, the creature started to stop thrashing, only to suddenly come back with more power. As Khrista's Pokemon began to become exhausted rom the amount of power they were using, there was a sudden flash in the center of the black space, the light growing ever outward. When the light became blinding, the Pokemon stopped their attacks and looked away, as did Khrista, Mandy, and Bolt. When the light faded, everyone looked back, only to find that Arceus was standing in the center of the battlefield, and where the monster had stood, a rather disgruntled teal Ditto sat in its place.

_"Mandy,"_ Arceus stated, _"you should know better than to mess with the forces of nature. Many people have paid the price for your releasing of this menace on our world."_ The Legendary's eyes flashed. _"For this, your data has been removed from the computer systems. You may start new journeys in other regions, but only Black 2 will follow what has taken place. What you do in these places will be watched. If you so much as steal a Gym Badge, your data will be erased and you will be forced to start over." _With that, Arceus vanished.

As Khrista was shutting down her connection to the Pokemon world, Mandy said nervously, "Sorry about that."

Khrista gave Mandy an odd look. "You wouldn't have known how much of an affect your cheating would have had on their world unless you were sucked there with us. Just make sure that you don't cheat again, all right?" She looked at Bolt. "You want to stay out here for a little while longer?"

Bolt nodded. "Volt's already had a look around; I want to see the world without Pokemon, too."

Khrista smirked. "All right, then." She motioned for the Pokemon to hop up on her shoulder as she put the electronic devices in her pocket. "You might want to get rid of your cheat codes, Mandy. You probably don't want to catch Arceus when he's in a bad mood."

Mandy's eyes moved to the sidewalk. "I'd kind of appreciate some help with that," she murmured.

Khrista exchanged a quick glance with Bolt, then smirked.

"I'll see what I can do," she stated. "Where's your game stash?"


	81. Epilogue

Epilogue

Maria watched from a distance as Mandy and Knrista walked off, Bolt sitting happily on his Trainer's shoulder. "Looks like they've made up."

A figure beside her nodded in agreement. _"Do you believe that Mandy will keep her promise?"_

"I don't know, Merlin, but I really hope that she does. It'll be one step closer to causing the cheats to stop. By tomorrow, everyone with a Missingno. will find themselves with a Shiny Ditto that won't have anything to do with their original forms." Maria grinned, delighted. "And then the rest will follow."

_"Indeed."_ Merlin gave Maria a curious look. _"Now, would you kindly tell me where you went while Cyrus tried to hunt you down?"_

Maria's grin became a nervous smile. "Let's head back to my house; I can speak freely about that there." She absently reached for her chest, then stopped. "I still forget sometimes that it isn't there anymore." Seeing the confused frown on Merlin's face, Maria stated, "It's all a part of the story you wanted. Come on; I'll start it on the way..."

**The End...?**

Well, that's the end of the first story Scribe gave me, and I've already started in on Khrista's second one. Also, Scribe had a _ton_ of notes on this Maria kid, ending the notebook with a whole profile that had a lot of holes. It seems to be that Maria has a pretty deep background with a lot of secrets. Maybe Scribe will get me some information on her, as well?...


End file.
